Romance Dawn 1: Falcon In The Sky
by azuremist14
Summary: Falco D. Mihawk has been quietly hiding from the Marines for 13 years when she unexpectedly meets the Whitebeard Pirates. Join Falco and her unpredictable fate on the Grand Line to find her MEMORIES, and a chance to find love within betrayal. T4S, AcexOC, Full summery inside. Ch 11: I need to go after him, Oyaji... I beg of you.
1. AN: Falco and Hanada's Words

_Please tell me_

_That this is nothing but a nightmare_

_Nothing but a dream_

_And that when I wake up_

_I won't remember anything_

_But parts of me are trying to convince_

_Saying that I like it better here_

_Because he'll protect me, he'll help me._

_What is this feeling in my stomach_

_That feels like it is a butterflies resting place?_

_Do I trust him? Do I… love him?_

_The heavens and the stars tell me nothing but grief_

_Or are they telling us to say what we really want to, what our hearts desire before it's too late?_

**~Falco~**

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**It's been quite a while since I've started posting things on FanFiction, the first being a Spirited Away FF back in 2009, all the way to One Piece in 2012 (makes me feel nostalgic ;w;).**

**About the story:**

**Nineteen-year-old Falco D. Mihawk has been hiding from the Marines for thirteen years on a small little island- until the Whitebeard Pirates unexpectedly show up and ruin it all.**

**Falco's life is shrouded with mysteries— even to her! But as she and the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates slowly start finding out about the unspoken mysteries of the crew's life, there are people who cannot sit and watch any longer.**

**Starting from the time before Thatch's death all the way to the excruciating ends and terrors of the Grand Line and the New World, join Falco, Ace, Luffy, Kidd, Law, Paulie, Jonathan, Mihawk, and the rest of the pirates and Marines alike through the legendary adventures of the Great Pirate Era.**

**This story is in a trilogy, based on my theories of the Grand Line and my own adventures in One Piece.**

**Book 1: Romance Dawn— The Falcon In the Sky (- You Are Here)**

**Book 2: One Piece— The Great Pirate Era**

**Book 3: New World— The Last Stand**

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**About the author:**

**Hi, I'm Hanada. *sends nervous waves*. It's both a Japanese and Korean name (Japanese Kanji for 'light blue', which explains my username and Korean for 하나다 or 한아다 (pun for those who read Korean). It means 'Only One'. Uhhhh what can I say about myself? Not much to explain, really. My first and last name are NOT my real names, the birthday (June 11th, 1993) is NOT a real birthday, so like Falco, I am shrouded with mysteries. Jk, I jk. Uh, I conceal myself because I'm just insecure that way :/ I mean, it's awkward writing a kiss scene and the next day you go to high school and everyone's all like: ****_Does this chick even know how kisses work? _*****shoots strange looks*… you get the idea. I mean, if I was a fantabulous writer and I was super-duper-whooper-famous then just MAYBE I might be all like: 'HI! I'M *censored*. ARE YOU SURPRISED? BTW, I ALSO GO TO *censored censored* SCHOOL, WHICH COULD BE CLOSE TO YOURS!'**

**Aaaaand you know it's a bad sign when the ABOUT THE AUTHOR becomes bigger than the ABOUT THE STORY, so I'll shut up know. I'm not too much of an interesting person, but to things I like, I'll go off the limits to do my best in it. I'm just a human being but if you have a question for moi, message me and I'll be more than happy to answer it. Nothing weird though. (_ _ |||)**

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**MARY SUE DETECTORS:**

**… I can't believe I wrote a paragraph about this earlier for a whole freaking hour, but I've just summed it up to one paragraph.**

**1) I don't need you.**

**2) I don't want you.**

**3) I'm perfectly fine on my own.**

**4) Don't give me that 'constructive' criticism**

**5) Don't want your freakin sass**

**6) Get out of here**

**7) I don't want you.**

**8) I don't need you.**

**9) I don't want you.**

**10) Did I ever mention I don't need you?**

**Jk, most of this was obviously (not really) a joke, but there is a type of criticism I want and I don't want. If you have something to say, please put it behind reasoning and sense, not random flames. I could make another joke out of this right now, but honestly, if you're just gonna hate, get out. I really don't need people like that to discourage me.**

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**Fans:**

**Which leads us to our final topic… fans!**

**You guys are the best! The greatest! The awesomest! SAIKO! (bakuman pun *shot*)**

**Honestly, you people are the ones who keep on pushing me forwards. I do go on hiatus often, but like what you're seeing right now, this FanFic was on hiatus for over a year, yet I'm still continuing it because I KNOW people like you will read it, watch the story/author/review/etc. It really feels amazing to be able to write a story not only for myself, but for other people as well.**

**So without further ado, ladies and gentleman, please welcome back a story left in the depths of deep trenches of my laptop, finally reconstructed and proudly taking off the 'hiatus' symbol.**

**_Book 1: Romance Dawn— The Falcon In the Sky_**


	2. The Whitebeard Pirates and the Falcon

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned One Piece!**

"Talking"  
_Thinking  
_(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

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_I know hardly anything about the story when I begin… usually I begin with just the __image of a person and a place. And then I write to discover what the story is. To me, that's so exciting: rushing to find out what the story is and what will happen and who I'll meet along the way."_

**_-Sharon Creech_**

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The girl panted heavily as she ran as fast as she could through the busy forest.

Thirteen years. Why now?

"Hold it!"

"Get her!"

She took another deep breath as she leaped over a bolder and then painfully raised a hand to stop the bleeding from her shoulders. She hated bullets. They were one of the only things that was capable of taking a bird down from the sky. But the one engraved in her shoulder was a type she hated even more. Kairoseki bullets.

The best chance she had was to grab her swords from her house. She didn't carry any weapons around when she was jogging... no one was up at the mountains during the mornings, and there was no harm from doing so.

Which was proven to be wrong today.

As the forest cleared, she could see the vast blue ocean, and the equally vast village ahead of her. Running down the hill as fast as she could, she dashed across the sandy path that led her to the heart of the village.

"Stop running immediately!" The Marines cried.

She quickly looked over her shoulders. There were five of them. How did they know who she was? Her identity was kept as a secret for thirteen years. Did someone spot her? Was Mihawk here?

She grabbed her key from her pockets and desperately tried to unlock her door when she was in front of her houose.

"Come on... open up..."

"There she is!"

_Click._

She slammed the door open and grabbed the first sword she saw. Just when she was about to unsheathe it, she heard a sharp click and a sword hard been placed beside her neck. She froze and panted hard, wisps of smoke barley visible in her dark home.

"One more move..." The Marine panted. "And I'll kill you."

"Ensign! Ensign Masamoto, where are you?" The two could hear the cries of the remaining four Marines.

"I'm here, you dumbasses!"

_Clack._

The girl took the chance to kick the ensign in the stomach and unsheathed her sword. After waiting for him to get up, she took the first chance to attack. She lunged with a powerful kick from her feet and swung the sword graciously in front of her. The Marine gritted his teeth as he block, then clumsily swung the sword in front of him. She could immediately sense his weakness.

_Too easy... _She grinned. After pretending to go for the neck, she rotated her sword and hit his stomach.

The remaining four Marines appeared in front of her, looks of horror on their faces.

She didn't want to kill anybody... she really didn't. But it was better than revealing the self she had hided for over 13 years.

Regretting that fate ever chose her to be born, she raised her sword and with a quick slice, killed the remaining of the four Marines.

/./././

After packing quickly, she left the house without a trance. She'd heal her wounds after she had found a safe place. There could be more Marines on the island, and there was nothing more she hated than Marines.

Sighing one more time, placed her hand gently above her wound and lugged her belongings to the port. She didn't know what to do. The bullet was a big problem, along with the bleeding, the amount of luggage she had with her, and the fact that she didn't own a boat.

After walking aimlessly for a couple of minutes, she bumped into something hard.

"Ow," she whined. "What the h-"

Marines. Maybe around 50 of them.

_Ah, shit! _She thought, eyes widening. She could immediately see he was a Marine of high rank. He had orange hair, and scruffy brown beard and eyebrows. His eyes widened largely when he saw her.

"V... Viv..."

Taking that chance, she ran for it as fast as she could. She could hear the head Marine shout: "Get her!"

_Shit... _she thought. _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_

The Marines WERE after her. How did that happen? She didn't interact with anyone for thirteen years! How did someone spot her? If those two Marines knew who she was, then it probably meant that the World Government was chasing her. They found out she was alive.

Her jog from this morning already seemed surreal. Had it really only been an hour ago she was relaxing underneath the beautiful trees in the peaceful forest?

Her thoughts came back from reality when the pain on her shoulder grew even deeper. She guessed that there was some kind of other poison in it. Heh. Touché.

She shut her eyes tightly as she tried her best to ignore the almost overwhelming pain. Even if she tried to attack, there was no way she could win against 50 trained Marines with guns. Maybe she could've, but she was loosing too much blood and she felt that her arm was paralyzed.

_BAM!_

"Who the hell is it now?!" She cried, rubbing her forehead. She glared at the person she bumped into.

"You okay?"

She opened her eyes and rubbed her back. The man had an orange cowboy hat, with freckles splattered across his face, and a tall, muscular build. He smiled warmly as he pulled out a hand. She took it gingerly and painfully got up.

"P-Portgas D. Ace! H-he's here!" The Marines cried, when they spotted the two.

"Looks like I'm caught. You running away too?" He asked, looking at her.

Hesitantly, the girl nodded. The man, named Ace, took one of her bags and grabbed her wrist before starting to run.

"Hiken!" He cried. Immediately, a large ball of flame came out of his fist and annihilated the path behind them. The girl was in too much of an awe to realize the excruciating pain that was growing in her shoulder. Logia. Devil Fruit. The legendary Mera Mera no Mi.

Suddenly, the man grabbed her waist and jumped over the ledge and into the ocean.

"H-hold on!" She cried. "We're both Devil Fruit users! We can't-"

_BAM._

When the girl opened her eyes, she realized she was on a small, yellow boat. Ace was still carrying her in bridal-style.

"What the hell-"

"Hold on," He simply said. He leaped up with a powerful kick, and his boat went under the ocean. The girl shut her eyes tightly, thinking that she was truly going to drown until she heard a simple bump. She slowly opened her eyes and realized she was on a boat.

A very, very large boat.

"What's this?" A man with hair and face that resembled a pineapple appeared. He peered closer to the girl.

"A stowaway?"

"She was running away from the Marines. I helped her while she was at it."

"So you brought her to our ship?"

"Only because she looks like she's severely injured. There's a bullet in her shoulder."

The pineapple man raised an eyebrow. He crouched down and inspected the blood dripping down her shoulders. The girl covered it desperately as an attempt to stop the bleeding, but winced at the pain.

"May I?" He went, raising an arm slowly. The girl nodded and carefully took her hands off.

He slowly ran his thumb over the wound and the girl clenched her fists tightly in pain. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited for the pain to end.

"Kairoseki. Infected. Get Florence," He said, standing back up. A pirate with a blue bandana nodded as he quickly ran downstairs.

"Miss, you don't look like you're too afraid of pirates. Do you know who we are?" The pineapple man asked. She nodded.

"Who wouldn't? The Whitebeard Pirates."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Marco. The first commander."

"May I know why you're not… scared?"

"Do you want me to panic?"

"Well… no…"

The girl simply sighed before rolling her eyes. "I don't know… the ship doesn't feel too threatening… I'm not very familiar with pirates, no interest and such."

"You seem awfully calm for a girl who just got shot," Ace said, smirking.

"I've been shot before."

"Have you, n—"

The man in the orange hat stopped speaking when a pretty blonde nurse with a pink uniform came forwards. She was holding a first-aid kit and was smiling brightly.

"I heard there was an injury?"

Marco pointed at the girl. "Kairoseki bullet. She's infected, too."

"Stop acting like a know-it-all, Marco," the nurse said, rolling her eyes. "By the way, it's poison from the bullet, it's not an infection… yet."

The crew laughed loudly as Marco's face went red.

"Well I oughta—"

"Not now," she chimed. "We'll discuss this after I've finished treating the wound. Someone go tell Oyaji."

"I'll get him," Ace offered, jogging slowly towards the stairs that led to the basement rooms.

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**Book 1, Romance Dawn: Falcon In The Sky  
Saga 1: One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)  
Arc 1: Enter, Falco!  
Chapter 1: The Whitebeard Pirates and the Falcon**

**I-I-I-I**

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"ARGHHHH!" The stowaway cried as the female nurse stitched her shoulders. Marco, Ace, and Florence were surrounding her as the needle jabbed through her skin, in and out.

"Anaesthetic is hard to bring aboard, and we use it in the worst situations. But your wound isn't that deep, so I don't have a choice but to use the classic needle and thread. Sorry," Florence apologetically said.

"This girl is our best nurse on board," Marco said, sticking a thumb towards the nurse. "At least she'll completely stop you from bleeding and get rid of your bullet."

"Yeah… thanks," the girl panted.

"We're done!" Florence smiled. "If you don't know already, I'm Florence, the head nurse of the crew. I also belong in the 1st Division, and Marco is my commander."

"Well," Marco said, scratching the back of his head. "Florence took my line, but I'm Marco, the 1st Division's commander. Whitebeard is our father and captain."

"I'm the 2nd Division's commander," Ace grinned. "What's your name?"

The girl looked up slowly and smiled at him. For the first time, Ace could see her eyes clearly. They were large, golden, and though they looked full of life, they also looked dark and almost… hypnotizing. Tired, even. As if there was a secret she'd been chasing for a long time. But the irregular golden colour startled him. He'd only seen the same colour on one person. But what would that man have to do with his stowaway right now?

"I'm Falco," The girl smiled brightly. "Falco D. Mihawk. Nice to meet'cha!"

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**REVIEW! Or I will eat you 3**

**~Hanada :***


	3. The Wingless Bird

**Thanks for the reviews! You're awesome ;)**

**I'm not sure if this is still the case anymore or not, but before links couldn't be shown? I think it's okay now but I'll get a dA soon and post pictures and stuff, though I'm terrible at art ;w;**

**Now, someone mentioned a very good point last time I posted this FanFic. In both Korean and Japanese yes, they do use their surnames first so technically her name SHOULD me Dracule D. Falco, HOWEVER this is all part of the plot. I mean, it doesn't effect the story in any way but the reason why her name is Falco D. Mihawk will be revealed way later (like 2nd or 3rd Saga).**

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**IMPORTANT!  
If you have an OC, PLEASE send him/her to me. Book 3 needs lots of them! If you don't want to, that's fine too, but I need lots of allies :3**

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**Disclaimer: I wish I owned One Piece!**

"Talking"  
_Thinking  
_(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails._

_-William Arthur Ward_

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-II**

**.:The Wingless Bird:.**

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All three people surrounding the girl were silent until Ace spoke first.

"Mihawk… as in… Dracule Mihawk?" He asked cautiously. Falco nodded. The man peered closer to inspect her eyes. They were indeed, golden, but unlike Mihawk's serious and more bird-like eyes, Falco's were large and friendly. To be honest, Ace didn't see any resemblance with her and the swordsman, except for their eye colour. The girl had long, wavy brunette hair and a small, pale face. She wore an off-shouldered blue knit overtop of an army-green dress, with brown boots.. Even as they were talking, she was smiling slightly, though there was nothing funny around them.

"Never heard of you before," Marco spoke up. "Didn't know Mihawk had a kid, either."

"He doesn't," Florence almost darkly said. "There was no news about Mihawk in an affair as well. You sure your father is the Shichibukai's Mihawk?"

Falco chuckled. "No doubt about that."

"Then that leads to our main question," Marco spoke, his head tilting slightly. His eyebrows scrunched together. "What's a girl like you doing on a puny island like Root Island? And how come no one's heard of you before?"

Her smile instantly vanished. "No one pries about my past unless I state otherwise."

Marco was about to ask her more (ignoring her statement) until he heard the door opening.

"Yo," A man with brown hair in a pompadour style walked in. "Oyaji wants to talk to you. All of you."

Ace nodded. "We'll be there in a second, Thatch."

Falco gently got off the bed and opened the door to the stairs that led to the main deck.

"Where's this 'Oyaji's' room?" She asked. Ace raised a hand.

"I'll take you there."

The girl smiled and walked out, gently shutting the door behind her.

"Be careful," He heard Marco say. "Keep a good eye on her."

"I will," was all Ace said before leaving.

/./././

"Shirohige," was all Falco managed to say after going inside the captain's room. The huge man was drinking sake with a huge bowl in his hand. He didn't even seem to notice Falco standing there.

Ace cleared his throat. "Oyaji."

The powerful captain suddenly stopped drinking before glancing briefly at Ace and Falco, then put his bowl down on the wooden floor. He leaned in closer and peered directly at Falco. For a second, the girl thought that the captain was surprised, but he right away regained his composure and heavily leaned back to his massive chair. After a sigh, he stroked his chin.

"A stowaway?" He asked, more so to Ace than Falco.

"Yes, Father," The second commander said, bowing his head. "She seems to have claimed herself as Dracule Mihawk's daughter, the Shichibukai."

The large man's gaze suddenly darkened, before turning his head ever so slightly. He stared at Falco's golden eyes. Ace could feel the amazing pressure between the two people, with their intensifying gaze.

"I'll bet," Whitebeard said, much to Ace's surprise. "It's his daughter all right."

"Oyaji," Ace said. "Mihawk never _had _a daughter. No one knew of such a thing. I doubt even the Marines know. His personal life was never recorded on on the news."

"That's exactly the reason why they don't know," Whitebeard said. "I'm guessing we're the only people who know. Root Island hadn't been visited by pirates and Marines for a good 10 years, probably a lot more."

Ace stared at the girl beside her uneasily. There was no expression on her face. Her golden eyes were captivating, but they reeked of mischief and humor.

"You're right," Falco suddenly said. Whitebeard looked up from his sake in surprise.

"Root Island hadn't been visited by Marines nor pirates for over thirteen years. It was thanks to your crew my cover blew. So thanks, old geezer."

"Oi," Ace said, but was silenced by his captain who raised a hand.

"What will you do now?" Whitebeard asked her. Falco shrugged.

"I have to keep myself hidden, for now. Thankfully I have all my swords with me, so I should be okay…"

"What will hiding do?" The huge man asked. "What are you running away from?"

Falco smirked. "As of now, I'm not running away from anything, but I feel that I must conceal myself from the Marines. Heaven knows what they'll do next."

"Baterilla," Whitebeard said suddenly. Ace instantly stiffened at the name. Falco didn't say anything.

The captain continued. "Vice Admiral Jonathan."

"The one in Navarone?" Ace asked. Whitebeard raised his hand to silence him. He looked at the girl to check her expression, but she showed what Whitebeard had been dreading the most: confusion.

"Oh dear," The captain said. Ace looked at him in alarm.

"What? What's the matter, you sick?"

"I'm not _sick,_" His captain said. The large man rubbed his forehead. _What to do now…?_

Suddenly, the captain had an idea. It seemed extremely convenient.

"Why don't you join this crew?" He asked suddenly. Falco and Ace's eyes widened in shock. Why did he ask, all of a sudden?

To Ace's bigger surprise, Falco agreed. "If you'll accept, then yes. I haven't been out to sea for a while."

Whitebeard nodded, fatigue and worry in his eyes. It was Ace's first time seeing the man look so… stressed. And he also had a feeling that Whitebeard knew about Falco and her past in one way or another.

"Put her in the fourth division."

"Wouldn't it be better if I took care of her?" Ace suddenly asked. He didn't know why he was saying this. "I mean… Marco, Florence, and I were the only ones who talked to her so far. Why the fourth division, all of a sudden?"

Whitebeard ignored Ace's questions. "And assign her as the Vice-Commander too."

Now Ace was furious. "We just _met _her, Oyaji! How can you put a stranger as a Vice-Commander first thing?! We don't even know who she is!"

"Silence!" Whitebeard barked. "Just… just let me think for a while. As of now, just assign her what I told you, and tell Thatch no arrangements will be made until I say so. You're in charge of showing her around and assigning her to do things."

_Now I get to babysit a stranger who's in a different division. _Ace thought to himself, silently groaning. Despite the millions of requests and questions he had, he stiffly bowed and said: "I'll leave now, father."

The man didn't say anything as the two left.

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**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-II**

**.:The Wingless Bird:.**

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"This is your sleeping quarters," Ace explained, pointing at the room full of hammocks. There was a lot of people sleeping. Falco realized they were all men.

"Do you have no women in your crew?" Falco asked. Ace looked at her in surprise.

"Well…" He said. "I think… we have around 20. Most are nurses though."

Falco nodded, signalling Ace can go on with his tour. He sighed and shook his head, before going down further into the hall, and stopped in front of a wooden door before opening it slowly.

"This is where the commanders sleep," Ace said. "You can choose to either sleep with a fellow commander, or a vice commander, it's your pick. But you have to share. There's too much people in the crew to have a separate room."

"Hmm… so where would I spend my days?" Falco asked him.

"Let's see…" Ace said, thinking carefully. "Marco is with Theo… Jozu and Vista… Parker and Blaine… Then there's me… the rest are on the other ships…"

Falco smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine, fine," Ace said. "You can stay in my room."

Falco chuckled. "Then it's settled. Let's go introduce myself to Thatch."

Right at that moment, the pompadour-hairstyled man walked in with a smile on his face. He gave them a friendly grin.

"Yo!" He exclaimed, raising a hand. "Looks like Oyaji finally got me a Vice Commander, huh? Interesting switch."

"Switch my ass, Thatch," Ace smirked. "You sure you're okay with this? You're not going to Oyaji to complain?"

"What's there to complain about?" Thatch smiled. "I trust Oyaji's opinion and thoughts. Don't you, Ace?"

The man thought for a moment, a frown on his face. "Well… yeah… I do. But I find it weird you're not telling him anything."

"I already talked to Oyaji," Thatch smiled. "For the time being, she'll be under my commands."

"If you're good with it, then I don't really care," Ace said. "Shall we go grab dinner?"

Thatch smirked. "Lead the way."

As the three walked upstairs to the dining hall, Thatch observed Falco carefully. Her large and friendly eyes… the posture full of pride and confidence… he strides youthful and brave. There was no sense of uncomfortable or nervousness surrounding her. Thatch knew she was the one. No one else carried such an unique aura like her… Maria…

_Glad you're back…_

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**DUN DUN DUN… so what does Thatch mean by '****_Glad you're back'_****? Why is Whitebeard so stressed out? Have the two met before? What's with Jonathan and Falco all of a sudden? And Baterilla? Who's Maria?**

**All will be revealed soon, my dear readers! It's bound to get interesting soon so keep a good watch on my updates!**

**R&R!**

**P.S: Theo and Parker and such are my OC's. I'm making a databook soon which will most likely be updated on dA one day (one day... ;w;). For the time being, Theo and Parker are the Vice Commanders of their division. DF powers, appearance, age, and all that other crap will be on the databook.**

**Review!  
Hanada :***

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**Special thanks to:**

**Ezaria  
Guest (?) (/*3*)/ LMAO  
yuukie-chan (Thanks! I adore you too :3)**


	4. New Beginnings

**Again, if you have any OC's of your own, please send them! :3 (as a PM) no extreme Mary-Sues (Characters in developing is fine though).**

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**Disclaimer: I own One Piece in an alternate universe. And Prince of Tennis. And Spirited Away. And Bakuman. And- *shot***

"Talking"  
_Thinking  
_(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_There's a saying... if you're hungry, eat._

_-Monkey D. Luffy_

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"Men!" Thatch cried, raising Falco's hand. "This is your new Vice Commander of the Fourth Division, Falco!"

The Whitebeard Pirates who were all eating dinner on the Moby Dick immediately spat their foods out in surprise. Marco smacked Thatch on the back of his head rudely.

"Idiot. You don't just go announcing these kinds of things in the middle of dinner!" The First Division's commander spat at the Fourth.

"Well if not, when?" Was his only reply. Thatch grinned and shrugged. "We're always full of surprises, no?" Which earned another sigh and a smack on the forehead for Marco.

As expected, a massive flood of questions were thrown at the pair. Marco and Ace wearily listened behind them.

"Who IS she?"

"Where'd that come from?!"

"I've been in the crew for ten years! How come I'm not Vice Commander, then?"

"She's a girl! And she looks weak, as if I could crush her!"

Falco stiffened at the last comment. Smiling slightly, she moved to where the pirate who rudely said the words and grinned. The pirate, with a confused face, looked at her and scoffed.

_BAM!_

Without even unsheathing her sword, the new Vice Commander swung the blade with a quick motion and sent the other pirate fighting.

"Say that again and you'll be sleeping with the fishies next," she growled, rolling her eyes.

Marco, Ace, and Thatch all looked at her with a blank expression. _Scary._

Falco turned around and smiled at the three boys before setting her eyes on the beer and food put out in front of her. She grinned widely before starting to stuff herself. Again, the three boys stared at her with a blank expression before sweatdropping.

"She's been here for like what, three hours?" Ace whispered to Marco.

"Shut up, she's gonna hear you and kill you!"

"God, she's already gotten into a fight with a crew member and now she's stuffing herself as if the Moby Dick was always here home."

"Marco," Thatch suddenly interrupted. "Come talk to me. Ace, keep Falco company."

"God, why do I always have to?" Ace asked, but went to the new Vice Commander anyways.

The two commanders watched the young man go as Marco spoke first. "Well?"

Thatch chuckled softly. "Marco, don't act stupid in front of me. Your facade is so fake and unreal I can cry."

Marco blushed. "Shut up, it's not like you can do better. But honestly, I'm just as surprised as you are. Never thought she'd be on Root Island of all the places, but I guess that's the reason why she's even there in the first place..."

"Which leads us to our main questions," Thatch continued. "One, what was she doing on Root Island for thirteen years? Two, what is she hiding from? And three, she's kept herself concealed for more than half her lifetime but Marines have now finally spotted her. Is it okay we take her in? Wouldn't that technically make us more vulnerable since the damned Marines would be tracking us plus Falco, since they can spot her better?"

Thatch sighed deeply. To be completely honest, he didn't know the answer to any of these questions, but Falco _was _Falco and he'd do anything to protect her. After all, Maria had always supported him.

With a brief moment of silence, Marco spoke first. "Whatever she did on Root Island for thirteen years will soon be found out sooner or later, it's bound to be something big, right? Two, it's obvious she's hiding from the Marines and you know exactly why. Three, we're the Whitebeard Pirates, mate. The most wanted crew in the world. Having Falco as one of our Vice Commanders won't make that much of a difference, right?"

"And... I don't get it," Thatch sighed, exasperated. "Why hide from the Marines though? Sure there's Garp and Jonathan and Mihawk and the Admirals and all that other crap but still, _why?_Falco's father is an _ally _of the Marines. Surely they'd keep her safe unless they don't mind Mihawk chopping up the entire Marine base."

Marco rubbed his chin for a moment. "I'm actually wondering of Mihawk even knows or _cares _that Falco is alive."

"Well that's perfect."

Marco rolled his eyes and glanced at Falco. She seemed to be having an eating contest with Ace.

Must've been hungry or s'mthin'.

"Hey Falco," Marco said, sitting behind her. Munching loudly with a mouth full of food, she said: "What's up?"

Trying to be polite and not barf at the mess she and Ace were making, the commander asked: "We'd like to know a little bit about you. Your age, weapon, devil fruit if you have any, likes, dislikes, strange habits..."

Falco just smiled at him before chugging some rum. "Well, I'm 19 for one thing. I use swords, mainly nitoryu but I'm comfortable with anything, really. I do have a Devil Fruit with an unknown identity... I don't know when I consumed it though. It's called the Tori Tori no Mi, hybrid."

"Hybrid?" Marco asked suspiciously.

"That's what I'd like to call it, honestly, I don't exactly know what it is though."

Thatch slowly nodded, as if thinking about something. After his train of thoughts he said: "Go on."

"I really like the sea and traveling, battling with my sword, and I can also bartend. Red wine is my favourite alcoholic beverage. I hate Mihawk. Other than him though, I'm cool with everyone. I cannot sleep without a pillow and I like baggy clothing!"

Ace leaned back and silently chuckled. She seemed like the average female pirate, minus the whole 'daughter-of-Mihawk' and 'hybrid Devil-Fruit' thing. Suddenly, the man realized the plate full of meat now had its contents empty and heard a satisfied burp in front of him.

"That was good stuff," Falco said, cleaning her teeth with a toothpick (where on earth did that come from?) much to Ace's annoyance.

"MY FOOOOOOD!" He wailed.

* * *

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-III**

**.:New Beginnings:.**

* * *

Two A.M. Two Knocks. Ace was annoyed.

_What the hell? _He grumbled to himself, walking over to the door. Though he did sleep frequently during the day (but never noticing...), Ace felt like he was supposed to be tired and angry at this time of day. Tomorrow was going to be an extremely important day for the first four divisions, and he did NOT want to fall asleep in the middle of the ceremony.

He opened the door to yell at the person who knocked, but to his surprise, it was Falco.

"Falco? What are you doing? What's wrong?" He asked, looking at her bloodshot eyes.

"Eheeee~" She went, smiling in a weird way. She stumbled to his bed before falling on top of it to fall asleep. Ace sighed. Some probably drugged her drinks as a joke. Always happened to the new crewmates they'd recruit. Though he wasn't sure if she was going to let it go the next morning. After managing a small smile, Ace went to observe Falco sleeping. He rolled her to her back so the girl could be more comfortable, and took her white-beige cowboy hat off.

Suddenly, Ace was engulfed by darkness.

_Ah, shi-_

* * *

**Things are moving really slowly right now, aren't they? I'm really sorry guys T^T I promise it'll be interesting later on so stay tuned!**

* * *

**Special Thanks To:  
Ezria  
Lynn Kyzar  
Guest  
Guest  
xxxkirmizibeyazxxx  
S0larEclipse**

**You guys rock! Seeya next time~  
~Hanada :***


	5. Top Four

**Warning! Updates are going to slow down EXTREMELY, anywhere from a day to a month. Why? Because I have writers from this chapter. Why? Because I need to decide what pasts of Falco I should reveal and what parts I shouldn't. Organizing that takes a LOT of time, plus I'm writing a new Prince of Tennis FanFiction! (If you read and reviewed that when it comes out, I'd love you for the rest of my life.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I WILL MARRY ACE ONE DAY! :( jk (who's that psycho over there ㄱ****.ㄱ****)**

"Talking"  
_Thinking  
_(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_Love, friendship, laughter... some of the best things in life really are free._  
_But you'll always need a friend to share these with._

_-Unknown and Hanada_

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-IV**

**.:Top Four:.**

* * *

"KYA!" Was the first thing the Second Division commander had heard in the early morning. He opened his eyes tiredly and stirred to see a very angry-looking Falco glaring at him.

"What happened?" He muttered, wanting to go back asleep. "Is there something- ack!"

Falco lunged at him, sitting on his back while headlocking him and shoved his face to a pillow.

"Can't... breath," he wheezed. Falco grabbed his bangs and yanked him upwards, as the poor man gasped for air.

"What the hell?!" He cried, fully awake now. Falco's eyes burned in rage.

"What were you doing in my bed?!" She cried.

Confused, Ace let out a mere "Huh?" Which led into another couple of seconds of suffocation.

"WILL. YOU. STOP. DOING. THAT?!" Ace cried, a vein popping on his forehead. "First off, this is MY room. Secondly, YOU were the one who strolled in here after being drunk. Thirdly, I have no clue why I suddenly fell asleep last night either, and fourth of all, we agreed to share a room together, remember?"

Falco blinked slowly, as if recalling the memory. She smiled as if she then remembered. "Oh yeah! You're right... my bad!" She said, releasing him. Ace gritted his teeth. _Just let it go this time..._

"Next time, you sleep on the couch."

"NO!"

"YES! It's not polite to sleep with someone you barely know!"

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SUDDENLY DECIDED TO JOIN THIS CREW AND MADE ME SHARE!"

"Uh, wrong. You were the one who invited me to join the crew all of a sudden."

"I RESCUED YOU!"

Marco suddenly opened the door and walked in, smiling. "Morning, guys. What's with all the ruckus?"

"Hey Marco!" They both said, not even glancing at him.

"I COULD'VE BEEN FINE BY MYSELF!" Falco said, resuming the fight.

"YOU WERE OBVIOUSLY INJURED AND NOT CAPABLE!"

"WAS NOT!"

"WAS TOO!"

"WAS-"

_BAM!_

Marco smashed their foreheads together as hard as he could, making the two other commanders cry in pain. Literally.

"What the hell was that for?!" The cried at the same time, rolling on the floor. Marco crossed his arms, annoyed.

"I've been listening to your conversation from the start. You guys are pretty damn childish, huh. Falco, you're allowed to sleep on the bed."

"YES!" Falco cried, pumping her fist in the air, her forehead forgotten right away.

"But you have to share with Ace."

"NO!" They both cried at the same time. _BAM! _Another smash. More crying, more rolling on the floor.

A vein had popped on Marco's forehead with all the childish noise they were making. He scoffed and said: "I'm here to pick you guys up for our meeting. Get dressed, grab a really quick breakfast, and meet at Commander's Quarters.

Ace and Falco glared at each other, but did as they were told.

* * *

**I-I-I-IV**

**Book 1, Romance Dawn: 'Falcon In The Sky'  
Saga 1: 'One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)'  
Arc 1: 'Enter, Falco!'  
Chapter 4: Top Four**

* * *

Ace led Falco to the Commander's Quarters and explained to her that there were four commanders on each ship, consecutively. She was on the main one, the _Moby Dick _which consisted of Marco, Ace, Jozu, and Thatch with their divisions. They were also Unit 1.

"Unit 1?" Falco asked, confused. Ace nodded.

"In case the mission is big, we separate it into Units so we can get the job done efficiently. Also, we sometimes pair up inside of the units as well. If you see something like 1-2 somewhere, it means First Division and Second Division pair up to go on the raid, or whatever we're doing. Same with 2-3, 4-1, and others. Unit 1 basically means Divisions 1, 2, 3, and 4. If we don't need that many people, however, we'll do a 1-2 or 2-4 kind of thing."

Ace politely opened the door for Falco, despite their argument in their morning. The girl gave him a hasty nod before walking inside. Marco and Thatch were already there with five others whom Falco did not recognize. The Fourth Commander waved at her and patted the seat beside him. She hesitantly sat on the chair and looked around.

"Finally, we're all here," Marco said. "Normally, Vice-Commander's don't need to come but Falco should quickly introduce herself first."

The girl stood up and smiled. "Nice to meet you," She said. "I'm the Fourth Division's Vice-Commander, Falco D. Mihawk. For the time being I'll stay in Whitebeard's crew and assist him in any way. Thank you! _Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu!"_

Marco smiled, looking content. He jerked his thumb towards a man with wavy, light brown hair and green eyes. He was good looking, Falco admitted.

"This is Theo. He's my partner and Vice Commander of the First Division. That's Blaine," Marco said, pointing at a man with long, dark-blue hair. "And Jozu's Vice-Commander is Parker, 'The Glass Heart'."

They all smiled at Falco warmly, the girl doing the same.

"Marco, I'm going to go train with the division now." Theo said, standing up. "It was nice meeting you, Falco," He added.

Marco lazily looked up. "Hm? Oh sure, in fact, all the Vice Commanders except Falco can leave now." The man said. Suddenly, he turned to the four seagulls that were perched on the windowsills of the room. "Get the nurses," He said.

Falco watched in amazement when the four birds flew out of the ship as Marco opened the window. Even the birds seemed intelligent and organized here.

In a few moments, 8 nurses had gathered in the Commander's Quarters, all giggling and gossiping like high school girls. Falco observed them carefully, though there wasn't much to see. They were all in hot-pink uniforms for one thing… and they were loud. Very loud. She recognized the blonde one as Florence, the one that stitched her wounds.

"Girls," Marco said. No one paid attention.

"GIRLS!"

"Jesus cripes, Marco!" Florence cried. "Ya scared me half ta' death!"

"Yeah, yeah." He said, rolling his eyes. "Nurses, this is the Fourth Division's new Vice-Commander, Falco. Falco, these are the nurses of the Whitebeard Pirates."

They shook hands, smiling. Marco turned to Florence and smiled. He nodded.

"So, Falco." Florence smiled. She pulled a thick book from a white bag she carried around. It was old and dusty, with the spines looking like it was ready to fall off.

"Our logkeepers are too busy writing things about our weather and location, so I was wondering if you could help then write a log as well, along with being a Vice-Commander. This log is more specifically for calculating raids, our adventures, and to keep the progress of individual pirates in training."

"Sounds like a lot of work!" She cried. "But I'll do it. I might get to know some people better by doing so."

Everyone on the ship nodded, smiling. The logs of the others could tell the nurses and the commanders what they were lacking so training could become much more efficient and they'd also know what adventures they'd been through.

"I have one condition though," Falco said. Marco cocked his head in wonder.

"I-I kind of want to keep this as a diary, so I don't want anyone to look around. In exchange if you have a question, I'll be more than happy to share what I have."

Florence smiled. "That's a nice idea. Okay, we won't look through the logbook without your permission!"

The girl smiled. Finally... after all these years just training on the islands by herself, she'd get a chance make many, many new friends, be with people whom she can call 'family', and write about the sea and its adventures, like she'd always wanted to experience. The warm feeling inside her chest was almost unbearable. She couldn't remember the last time when she felt so happy.

_Yay! I want five scoops!_

Falco clutched her head in pain. The logbook that was in her hands landed with a loud thud on the table.

_Thank you..._

"Falco, what's wrong?!" Marco cried, standing up.

_Justice... is what can drive a man insane._

Falco panted in heavy, uneven breaths. Flashes of people... places... things. They passed her brain like quick, blurry slides. Her head felt like it was trampled on and the voices of the others drowned out. Who were they? Where did these images come from?

_Don't go!_

_Thud._

* * *

**And... Chapter 4 finishes like this! Pretty good, huh? I'm actually quite satisfied with the ending. My first draft years ago so I completely scrapped it and this is what I came out :3**

**Review! Or else the logbook shall fall upon you... (*insert dramatic music*)**

**~Hanada :***

* * *

**Special Thanks To:  
Death's BlackOut  
Ezaria  
Akira (originally Guest (Thanks for telling me your name (/*3*)/))  
yuukie-chan**


	6. Remember The Past

**Well, I did warn you saying that updates were going to slow down extremely ;w; Summer school has been really awful… tests every week, projects every day… plus the teacher is really mean for some reason… reminds me of my old cooking teacher, lol. But it doesn't mean I haven't been writing! No, no, no ways! I started Prince of Tennis and I am in LOVE with the freaking thing. I finished up to episode 170 in 10 days… now that I think about it that's a lot… no wonder my grades have been falling to that low 'B' *sobs***

**Anyways, as you might've guessed, a Prince of Tennis FanFic will be coming soon. There are so many Japanese OC names the entire screen is blurred with red squiggle lines… making me frustrated :( (SEIKA CAN BE A REAL FREAKING NAME! DON'T GIVE ME THAT RED SQUIGGLE!)**

**But that's me ranting, so here's your long-waited chapter! For those who are lost, this is our first arc called: 'Enter, Falco!' and it's mainly about her and her life as a Whitebeard Vice-Commander.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I (cannot) BE THE KING OF PIRATES! *Sobs hysterically* (oh why, why, why, why can't I live in the Grand Line)**

"Talking"  
_Thinking_  
(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_Memories warm you up on the inside. But they also tear your apart._

_-Murakami Haruki (1Q84)_

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-V**

**.:Remember the Past:.**

* * *

"Falco? Falco, wake up already!" The alarmed voice of Ace stirred the young girl. She tried to get up, clutching her head.

"Ite…" She said. "It hurts more than a hangover…"

Florence was beside her, setting something up on the table. She sighed and put her hands on her hips before sitting beside her bed.

"Falco," She said sternly. "I'm going to go through a strange checkup method. Based on your symptoms right now it's not safe for you to walk around so freely, so I'll ask you a couple questions and make arrangements. Okay?"

Falco raised her eyebrows but nodded, nevertheless.

"All right. What is your full name?"

"Falco D. Mihawk…"

"Birthday?"

"February the 14th."

"Parents?"

"Dracule Mihawk and Star D. Maria."

Marco, who just walked into the room stopped short. Florence didn't say anything but looked at her with her light blue eyes. They seemed to water up, as if she was remembering a bad memory.

"You okay?" Falco asked, looking concerned. Florence nodded and whispered an apology.

"Next question, were you born on Root Island?"

_Was I born on Root Island…? _Falco thought. She tried to go as far back as she could. For as long as she could remember, she woke up, took a hike to the forest, trained with her swords, went to town to eat, train, read some books, trained, and then slept. That was what she did 24/7 all year round.

But something told her that's not what her life was always like.

_Run!_

Falco clutched her head in pain. She saw fire… fire everywhere, dancing in her eyes. There was a person, however… stuck underneath rubble.

_I have to save her!_

"Falco!" Ace cried. "What's wrong, what happened?!"

_RUN!_

"No, stop!" Falco cried, clutching her head tighter and tighter. "I have to save her… I… I have to…"

Ace turned to Florence desperately. "Florence, do something!"

But all the nurse could do was to watch.

When Falco's 'fit' seemed to end, the tension in the room disappeared, however, the ominous feeling still lingered tightly in the air.

Florence stood up. "Sorry for the disturbance. Have a good rest, take the medication on the table, and drink lots of water. I'll come for checkup every couple of hours or so."

Falco didn't reply, only staring down at her bedsheets. Ace gave her a weird look.

"What happened?" Marco whispered to Florence once they were out of the room. The blonde nurse sighed, looking tired.

"Oyaji was right. She has amnesia. She's in pain because of the sudden shocks the brain seems to get and she doesn't know what to do with those images. Staying on that island for thirteen years was a stupid choice. The most she can remember is maybe her first years at that place, but all her memories—whatever she had left before is all gone. Her identity… her reasons to live… maybe she doesn't remember them anymore, either."

She gave Marco an icy glare. Her light blue eyes looked cold to the First-Division Commander.

"And I have a feeling Falco isn't her real name either."

* * *

**I-I-I-V**

**Book 1, Romance Dawn: 'Falcon In The Sky'  
Saga 1: 'One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)'  
Arc 1: 'Enter, Falco!'  
Chapter 5: Remember the Past**

* * *

"Ne, Ace," Falco said, looking at the boy. He cocked his head in wonder.

"What?"

She had a blanket draped over her as she looked out the small, circular window, with a cup of warm tea in her hands.

"Are memories important?"

Ace raised an eyebrow. Were they important? Could someone live without them?

The boy thought of his times before Luffy and Sabo… how people questioned such an innocent boy of such guilty questions… _Did he deserve to live? _Even today he was a little confused. But thanks to his times with Luffy and Sabo… thanks to this crew, he had finally found an answer, and a place.

"They're important," he concluded. "What you learn from your past and what you remember from your memories make you the person you are today."

"Soka," She said, not bothering to look at him. "Then Ace, what kind of a person do you think I am?"

The Commander was a bit startled at this sudden question but thought carefully about it in his head.

"Hmm…" he went, looking up. "You're pretty nice, even if you are a bit tomboyish at times. It's only been a couple of days since I've met you so I don't know you all too well, but you're sure are one hell of a heavy drinker, but you suck at holding it all down. But you're a cool person to have as a friend!" He exclaimed, giving her a wide smile.

She smiled, looking down at her cup of tea. "Is that so? Thanks Ace, you're a good friend too. I see… that's the type of person I've become then, huh?"

"What kind of a person do _you _think you are then?" Ace asked. Falco softly laughed, looking out at the window again.

"Stubborn… foolish." She nodded. "I'm a fool, and that's all I know."

"A fool?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow. "We're all fools for becoming pirates in the first place, no?"

She shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I'm foolish because I'm perusing a dream that I don't even remember or know the reason for."

"Don't remember?" Ace said. As if it was a flash of lightning, the commander suddenly got it. He turned to face the girl. Her sudden fits… the reason why Oyaji had asked her where she was from… it all fell in like a puzzle.

"No ways…" he said. "Don't tell me…"

No words were needed to finish his sentence.

_I can't remember anything._

* * *

**I-I-I-V**

**Book 1, Romance Dawn: 'Falcon In The Sky'  
Saga 1: 'One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)'  
Arc 1: 'Enter, Falco!'  
Chapter 5: Remember the Past**

* * *

Ace looked at the girl in his bed, snoring softly. For some reason the sky was extremely clear today. He took his shoes off and gently crawled into the bed, making sure not to wake her.

He looked outside of the small window. A few low clouds hovered about, and the sky was sprinkled with small, glimmering starts. He started to think about his past, how he gave Luffy a piggyback ride the day he read Sabo's letter. The sky was unusually clear that day, much like the sky he was staring at right now. His heart felt like it was being squeezed. That day was a rather painful day… but as he and Luffy gazed at the stars, he had a warm feeling that somewhere up there, Sabo was watching him, along with his parents.

The feelings like those were the reasons as to how he lived through each day. He didn't live because he wanted to. It was just that he couldn't die—for Luffy's sake. How would the young boy react if both of his brothers disappeared from his world? Making him go through that pain again when he lost Sabo would be something Ace would never want to see again. That's why he lived. If he didn't have those memories to hold on to, Ace didn't know where he'd be by now.

_I'm foolish because I'm persuing a dream that I don't even know the reason for._

"What willpower…" Ace murmured, looking at the gentle waves and the bright moon. "How do you do it, huh?"

The commander looked at the peaceful girl beside him who was stirring occasionally. He peered closer to her, as a tear suddenly dripped down her porcelain skin. She began to murmur something and the commander leaned closer, trying to understand what she was saying.

She sniffed.

"I miss you… papa."

* * *

**I think I've been reading to much angst FanFics these days and MAN, am I getting depressed. And I dislike this chapter as well. It feels too rushed. Too much dialogue in some parts, too much narration in others. :(**

**This chapter is a fairy important chapter. Things that happen here will probably span up up the Marineford War. Remember their convos carefully and— oh my! Is that Ace falling for a girl?**

**Just kidding.**

**Anyhow, like I said before, I have summer school that's tiring me out right now so updates will be slow.**

**Please review! And tell me what you think of this chapter :3 It's been a while since I've posted something.**

**~Hanada :***

* * *

**Special Thanks To:**

**Ezaria**  
**Akira**  
**Lynn Kyzar**  
**Yuukie-chan**


	7. Commander Games

**A/N: NOT EDITED AT ALL. So many mistakes, and this is just the first draft. I'll probably revise it soon. I have a terrible headache but sudden inspirations came up so I started to write! This chapter is terrible, but I wanted to write it o.o**

* * *

**Disclaimer: If I wrote One Piece... no, I wouldn't have changed anything.**

"Talking"  
_Thinking_  
(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_Meeting you was fate. Becoming your friend was a choice._

_-Unknown_

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-VI**

**.:Commander Games:.**

* * *

"OHAYO!" Falco _screamed_, running out of her room. She jumped up and down in excitement when she saw her nakama training on the deck.

"What'cha doing? Can I join?" She asked, peering over at Thatch. The Fourth Commander chuckled and patted her on the head.

Ace wearily trudged over to the two, yawning. He wasn't fully awake yet (heck, he never was), and wondered how on earth Falco got all that energy from. Yesterday's drama seemed to have never happened.

_I miss you... papa._

The entire night Ace couldn't help but think of Falco. If she truly missed Mihawk, then why didn't she leave the island for thirteen years? Why did she stay there? How did she get amnesia? Would her memories return? What was her goal? Why was it that he had never heard about Falco?

"New Moon Island," He heard Marco say behind him. "We're almost there."

"Morning, Marco!"

"Are you going to fight again this year?"

"Dibs on the cash!"

Falco went to Ace and whispered in his ear: "What are they talking about?"

The Mera Mera no Mi user grinned evilly. "Every year the sixteen commanders battle each other out for fun. The one who wins gets cash as prize money. It's pretty fun, especially when Haruta beats someone like Marco."

"Stop talking about bullshit, Ace!" The first division commander yelled angrily.

Thatch walked over to Falco and put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go out instead of me this year, huh? I want to see what you can do. Who knows, you may be more than what you eat!"

"Oh shut up, Thatch," She snorted, rolling her eyes. "I'd be more than happy to try though!"

"Then it's settled!" Ace gleefully said. "We draw out the names for the matches this afternoon when all the four boats connect together. We let the newest commander or vice-commander pick out the names, so you can do it!"

* * *

**I-I-I-VI**

**Book 1, Romance Dawn: 'Falcon In The Sky'  
Saga 1: 'One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)'  
Arc 1: 'Enter, Falco!'  
Chapter 6: Commander Games**

* * *

The four ships of the Whitebeard Pirates faced each other as a huge wooden platform came out of the bow. It connected to each other, making a stage to fit the crew of 1600.

Marco brought forth a glass bowl with 16 white strips of paper inside. He nodded to Falco and the girl dipped her hand in to retrieve the first name of a commander.

"The first commander..." Falco read. "...Me?"

"Pick one more," Marco said.

The girl took another name out. "Versus... the Fifth Commander, Vista!"

The entire crew roared and chanted their names, fists pumping in the air. "Falco! Vista! Falco! Vista!"

"Marco and Izo!"

"Kingdew and Haruta!"

"Jozu and Fossa!"

"Blamenco and Ace!"

"Namur and Blenheim!"

"Atmos and Rakuyo!"

"Curiel and Jiru!"

The chanting of the crew was loud enough for anyone within a 100 mile radius to hear. Falco secretly wondered if they were going to attract the Marines. They certainly were capable enough.

Marco headlocked her. "You're first up-yoi! Get me a winner!"

Vista laughed heartily. "Marco, you're supposed to be rootin' for me!"

"I'm putting my bet on Falco this time!"

"Bets?" Falco asked, looking at them suspiciously. Then she laughed and gave Vista a teasing wink. "I'd bet for myself as well!"

"We'll see about that, runt!"

The Fifth Commander and the Vice-Commander looked at each other on opposite ends of a stadium that looked like a huge crater. It was apparently called 'New Moon Island' because it looked like a meteorite had struck the island some time before civilization.

"Well then," Whitebeard said, leaning back on his chair. "Let the games begin!"

Vista took a bow, much to Falco's surprise. "I'm honoured to be able to fight with Mihawk's daughter."

"I'm not honoured to be his daughter..."

Ace's eyes narrowed. _What is she talking about?_

"I won't go easy on you."

"You better not, Vista!"

"START!"

Falco ran at an amazing speed to Vista, so fast that all she did was leave a trail of golden feathers behind. Her body disappeared. At first, Vista looked surprised but then closed his eyes. Even if he couldn't see her, he could hear her footsteps.

But what he heard weren't footsteps, but the flapping of a wing.

"Up there!" He heard a crewmate cry. He looked up and widened his eyes.

Falco's attire had changed into a tight brown dress with a thin golden belt. Three swords hung on her waist. But the thing that awed everyone were the wings... _golden wings _on her back. She gave him a smirk before disappearing once more, feathers falling in the air.

Vista blinked, trying to locate her. _Where is she?_

A huge impact suddenly pushed his sword. If it wasn't for his tall build, he would've been sent flying away. Falco had drawn a white sword out and was pushing it against the commander.

_What power! _He thought. _As expected of Mihawk's daughter._

He swung his two sabres, but Falco only used 1 sword. The commander knew more than well enough that his swings were fast, but how Falco moved was faster. The girl then retreated to the opposite side of the crater, her attire back to a blue sweater and green cargo pants. She drew another sword out.

"Hiya!" She cried, lunging at him once more. She did a backwards somersault in the air before doing an upwards strike at Vista. A sabre clattered from his hands.

"Falcon Shot!" She cried. She threw her six daggers at Vista as one grazed his cheek. Taking that time to react, Falco kicked his second sabre away and had her sword placed on his neck, eyes shadowed.

"Game! Falco!" Whitebeard cried. The crew cheered, echoing across the Grand Line. "Falco! Falco! Falco! Falco! Falco!"

Marco laughed his head off and patted Vista on the shoulder. "That was sad, Vista. You hear me-yoi? She got you in less than ten minutes!"

Vista rolled his eyes playfully before extending a hand to Falco. The girl shook it. "Looks like I still have ways to go. Thanks for the match."

He gave Falco a strange look. "Say... were those wings a devil fruit power?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, does it look like a devil fruit power?"

"Well I don't see how anyone can be born with it..."

Ace patted the girl on the back. "Good game. Entertaining. Man, Vista, you got totalled!"

"I get it!" He said, waving them off. He laughed in an amusing manner. "Until next time, Falco. Unit 1 has gotten themselves a great Vice-Commander!"

"Thanks! See you soon, Vista!" **(A/N: They're acting this way because they live on separate ships so they don't see each other quite as often.)**

The top four commanders (including Falco) were still fighting, which wasn't too surprising. Marco and Jozu's fight had been the longest. Marco, who was an excellent attacker had tried to crack Jozu's Diamond Arm but was unable to. Jozu who was the best defender on the crew had tried attacking Marco, but the First Commander was to fast for him. The match had ended in a draw because the two weren't able to continue.

"Man that's disappointing," Falco sulked, hands on her chin. "Jozu is too well-guarded for Marco, and Marco is too swift for Jozu."

Ace poked Falco's cheek. "Well, this is the final match, you versus me. I won't hold out on you."

She snorted. "You better not, Flame Brain."

"The final match!" A crewmate cried, mic and speakers in his hand. "The mighty flame user- Commander of the Second Division, Ace!"

His division cheered loudly. "Ace! Ace! Ace!"

"And the beautiful yet mysterious yet hilarious and food-loving Vice-Commander of the Fourth Division- Falco!"

"Falco! Falco! Falco! Falco!"

"Start betting everyone, and let the game begin!"

The two wasted no time, starting an attack as soon as Whitebeard said 'Start!'. Ace fisted his hand back before yelling:

"HIKEN!"

Falco disappeared once more from the island. Everyone looked up to see if she was there. Sure enough, she was. This time, her attire had changed into a white blouse with a black corset, and a loose yellow skirt with brown hems. She wore shiny black boots and her hair was tied in a loose ponytail. What was surprising this time was the lightning cracking around her.

The girl smiled as if she thought of a great plan.

"DENKEN!"

A huge ball of lightning was shot at the Second-Commander, much to his surprise. He flew into the open air where he met face-to-face with Falco. His body felt like it had been roasted and his hair felt like it was shooting straight up.

"Sorry, Ace!" She cheerfully said. Her foot impacted with his stomach, sending Ace straight down on the floor. The girl shot straight down to bury him into the ground, but Ace dodged just in time.

"HIGAN!" He cried, shooting the fire bullets to the girl. Two grazed her arm, but she went straight to the sky.

"When it comes to speed," She said, going straight up to the sky. "Even bullets can't beat me!"

"PILLAR OF LIGHTNING!"

A huge bolt of lightning was sent straight down to Ace. He cried in agony before his limp body fell to the floor.

"Winner of the Commander Games..." The M.C said. "Falco of the Fourth Division!"

"We did it!" Thatch cried jumping over to Falco. The girl gave him a hung.

"Oi, Ace," She said, poking him with his foot. "I beat you!"

He sat up before rubbing his head painfully. "Yeah, yeah. I went easy on you."

"Sureeee you did Ace."

"It's true! But you seemed to have no problem kicking me like that."

"Yeah, I didn't really care."

"Devil."

"Flame Brain."

"You used that already."

"Whatever."

The two glared at each other, lightning coming out of their eyes.

"Now, now," Marco said, stopping them before they started to fight again. "Good game, good game. Falco, go to Oyaji for your prize."

She stuck a tongue out childishly at Ace before skipping to the captain, much to Ace's annoyance. A vien popped on his forehead. _Why you..._

"Oyaji~" She said. "I won! Give me my cash!"

The captain nodded, looking satisfied. A bag of money was tossed at the Vice-Commander as she struggled to lift it up.

"The winner..." Whitebeard said. "Falco D. Mihawk!"

* * *

**Wow I'm like crying at all the mistakes I see (but I'm not bothering to fix anything, lol). It's definitely rushed and has no pace like the last chapter, but hear me out:**

**I AM SO SORRY! I've been writing about a girl named Ryuutou Seika from my new Prince of Tennis FanFiction (please do check it out!) but Seika is such a hilarious kid- obnoxious, rude, cocky... and because I've written so much about her, I can't grasp Falco's style well enough anymore, so she has become very, very OOC in this chapter! :S Mou, Seika!**

**A couple things are revealed: Falco has a Devil Fruit, but what on earth is it? Hybrid isn't quite the word to describe it, but it's not like she ate 3 DF's, right? And does Falco 'hate' Mihawk? Then why was she muttering about that in her sleep in the last chapter?**

**Stay tuned to find out!**

**~Hanada :* (Ugh my head hurts so much... I'm catching a cold D: )**

* * *

**Special Thanks To:**

**Akira-chan**

**TDI-Ryro-Eclares**

**(WHERE DID ALL OF MY REVIEWERS GO? ;w;)**


	8. This Life We've Lived

**Hey guys! I'm going to start off with a bad news... any chapter I post from now on shall be unedited, raw, and full of mistakes. I am currently finishing up provincials for summer school (I didn't fail anything, if that's what you're wondering- I'm trying to get ahead) and it's taking up a lot of my time, but I don't want to stop writing, especially when I have such loyal readers that encourage me everyday. At first, all I cared about was how popular Romance Dawn was going to be and I always took it down if there weren't reviews- but now I see a new side to it... I will write because I simply enjoy it. I promise you one day that all these mistakes are going to be taken down and I'll re-update chapters as soon as I'm finished with school, but before September comes, I'd like to really finish as much as possible.**

**Ah, I know this Author's Note is getting really long already, but I'm trying out new... 'fluff' methods? I guess you could say, so don't blame me if there are unexpected moments... (I'm giving you a heads up here lol).**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I miss Ace ;w;**

"Talking"  
_Thinking_  
(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_There's no love like the first._

_-Nicholas Sparks_

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-VII**

**.:This Life We've Lived:.**

* * *

Falco stumbled to the room, carrying the bag of money she had in her arms. She was dead tired, no doubt. She heard a soft humming from the bathroom, as well as the sound of running water. It was safe to assume Ace was in the shower, washing off all the blood and grime.

Smiling softly as she looked at the door to the bathroom, the vice-sommander sat on the wooden chair and placed her forehead against the table, sighing softly. For some reason, all that fighting had tired her out... it was as if she hadn't used her powers for a long time.

Where _did _those wings come from, anyways? Everything that happened in battle was an impulse. Flashes of the fight lingered in her mind. She thought all this stuff would scare her, but it didn't. He was smiling, she was smiling... she enjoyed it.

"Hmm?" Ace said, looking at the girl. "Aren't you going to shower?"

"I already did at the nurses's quarters."

"Huh."

He rubbed his head with a towel and shook it, letting the drops of water flick on to her. She laughed as she swatted her hand as if telling him to go away. She stuck a tongue out childishly.

"Mou, Ace! You're gonna get me wet!"

"Ooooh," He said, a playful grin on his face. "That sounded so-"

"Wrong," Falco smirked. "Don't be such a kid, Ace. Get your hair dried up. I brought dinner here this time."

"Hai, hai," He said mockingly. "Ite..."

"What's wrong?" The girl asked, standing up. Ace placed a hand on his cheeks and looked at it. There was blood.

"I guess this cut still hasn't stopped bleeding," he said, chuckling. "Funny how it stings more than any part of my body."

"It's because it doesn't give your blood, which has natural pain killers, to coagulate on the wound, so it's more painful."

"I didn't understand any of that."

She plopped on the bed with a first aid kit beside her. She patted the spot next to him and said: "Come here."

He obeyed, and she said he reminded her of an obedient dog.

"Why you!" Ace said, tackling Falco. "You want to see if I'm a good pet or not?"

"Ace!" Falco shrieked, laughing. "Stop it! You're going to get blood all over the bed!"

"Oh come on, it's not like I got stabbed or anything, it's just a light-"

_CRASH!_

The two fell off the beds and was now lying on the ground... in a very scandalous position, of course. Ace was on top of Falco, his hat crumpled on the floor. The blanket slipped off the bed and fell on Ace's back. For the first time, Falco could clearly see the splash of freckles across the commander's face, and his dark, dark eyes. He was warm like always, and she liked it because she was bad with the cold. But that wasn't the problem.

"Yoi, Ace, Florence brought me some extra bandages so I was wondering if you wanted-" his voice stopped instantly when he caught the two on the ground. He rolled his eyes and walked out the door, muttering something like: _Not again..._

The two commander's eyes widened as they scrambled off of the floor and sat on the bed politely, not looking at each other. Falco opened the First Aid kit immediately and rummaged through it. Ace found his walls extremely interesting at this point in time.

"S-so, let's get that cheek fixed up, ne?"

"Y-yeah, of course... of course..."

"Band-aid... band-aid... here it is, come here, Ace."

"Wha-oh. Okay."

He whipped his head around, only to be face-to face with Falco. Their noses were less than an inch apart. Her eyes turned wide, as the two looked away again. Falco ripped open the band-aid packaging and fiddled with it nervously. She stood up, and walked in front of Ace.

"Here," She said. Ace turned to look at her face. She had an ointment in her hand and dipped her pinky in before slowly spreading it across the wound. It was a moment of silence, but both hearts thumped nervously."

"Ite," He suddenly said, retreating a little. She looked concerned.

"Sorry," she whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Uh..." he stupidly said. "Yeah." And mentally kicked himself. Why was he reacting to something so small like this cut? There was nothing special about her, Florence tended his wounds all the time. Then why did he feel even warmer and hotter than he normally did?

Falco gently placed the band-aid on his cheek, and patted it softly. He looked up.

"Normally people give kisses on the cheek to make the pain go away faster," he said. _What the hell am I TALKING ABOUT? PORTGAS D. ACE, GET YOUR HEAD SCREWED ON PROPERLY! _He screamed to himself.

The vice commander looked flustered for a second, and she leaned in close to to his cheek. His heart thumped. _No ways... no ways... is she actually... will she really..._

"Ace..." she whispered. Then a wicked smirk appeared on her face and Ace had a very, very bad feeling. She kissed her index finger and pressed it as hard as she could on his cheek. The pain intensified x1000.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He cried, rubbing the place. "THAT HURT, THANK YOU!"

"You can kiss my ass before I kiss your cheek," She said, smacking her butt and sticking a tongue out. Ace snorted.

"You don't even have an ass to kiss."

That did it. Marco, who was outside listening to the entire thing, smirked when all he heard was a scream that sounded a little high for a guy's and then... silence. He pondered for a moment as to whether or not say a prayer.

_Nah, _he decided. _The longer this goes on, the better it is for me to watch!_

* * *

**I-I-I-VII**

**Book 1, Romance Dawn: 'Falcon In The Sky'  
Saga 1: 'One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)'  
Arc 1: 'Enter, Falco!'  
Chapter 7: The Life We've Lived**

* * *

"That woman is an ogre..." Ace said, fallowing Falco back to their room. The girl shot him another angry glance and he instantly stiffened. The only part of his face that _wasn't _swollen right now was the part she put the band-aid on, which he found ironic for some reason.

They finished eating dinner in their rooms quietly which could've been more pleasant if only Falco didn't destroy his face so badly. He had trouble chewing. Where the hell did a girl get such power from, he wondered. After washing their plates, the two went back to their quarters to sleep. Tomorrow was apparently going to be a big day. They'd stop at an island for brief shopping, because it would be Oyaji's birthday, and they'd hold a dance.

"I hate tuxes," He muttered. "They make me feel so... ugh."

"So _ugh?"_ Falco bursted out into laugher. "Even I don't use that word!"

He rolled his eyes as he blew out his candle and fallowed the girl to his bed. She looked at the ceiling and smiled.

"What an enjoyable life," She whispered to herself. "We've had a dirty past but it's becoming so clear and pretty to me now... I hope this bubble will never end. You're lucky to have found a crew like this so early."

Ace sighed for a moment. Did he want to tell her? Should she? How would she react?

If he told her that Roger was her father.

Would she kick him out? Would she say that Roger was a reason as to why her life was so miserable? He wondered for a moment why he cared about her feelings so much. That smile... those eyes... they brought light to his soul. Being a pirate of this crew was certainly very enjoyable, but at times, he did feel left out. No one completely understood how he felt.

So should he tell her?

"Ne," he said. "Do you know what my real name is?"

"Duh. Portgas D. Ace."

He shook her head and looked directly into her eyes. He took a deep breath.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Gol D. Ace."

Falco shot up from her bed and looked at him, eyes wide. Her hair was messy, but she didn't bother to comb it. Ace regretted it instantly. _I knew it... _He thought. _Roger was the one that started all of this... if it wasn't for him, maybe her life would've been more peaceful right now. Damn it, she's going to hate me forever..._

"Roger..." She said. "_The _Gold Roger, the pirate king?"

"Yes."

Her expression and her answer was the last thing he had expected. The girl's face broke into a grin, as her eyes widened in pure excitement. She plopped down beside him, chin resting on her hands.

"That is _so, so, soooo _cool!" She said, her voice rising. "Your dad was the Pirate King?!"

He couldn't reply for a moment because he was so shocked, but he nodded slowly. "Yeah... aren't you angry?"

This time, it was her turned to be shocked. "Angry? Why would I be angry?"

"Because my father is Roger, the demon... the one that started everything."

She gave him a weird look. "You're weird, Ace. Roger was only looking out for his dream. What's so wrong about that? Isn't it cool your father was the Pirate King? Now that I think about it, if it weren't for him, you and I would probably have never met!"

"Do you regret meeting me?"

"No!" She said, shooting him another strange look. "Of course not! You're my best friend! And what's with these weird questions, Ace?"

"Yokatta **(that's a relief)**," He said, all the tension in his shoulder disappearing. She had accepted him right away.

"Come to think of it, the person I really hate is Mihawk," she said, kicking her legs up and down. Ace looked at her with a strange face.

_I miss you... papa._

That was what she had clearly said a couple of days ago. Why did she hate the man, all of a sudden?

"It sounds ridiculous," she said. "I don't even remember why. But whenever his name comes up... whenever I think about him... I get so angry, as if he did something to me. All I remember for sure was that I was going to set sail one day to kill Mihawk."

Ace couldn't find any words. He finally said: "Why?!"

"Didn't you hate your father at one point too? For leaving all his burdens on your shoulders?"

He couldn't reply.

"Isn't it lonely sometimes? Fighting by yourself?"

"I..." he said, but the words stuck to his mouth.

"It's a dirty life we've lived..." she whispered. "No, living is just a sin itself to us."

He just looked at her.

"But this life we've lived..." she said, smiling. The vice-commander rolled over so she was face-to-face with Ace. "I've come to enjoy it, thanks to you."

* * *

**Yay~ lots of fluff.**

**Be prepared guys. After the next chapter, things will start to get very, very dramatic and dark. Now that I type it up though, it's not that bad. But I will try to write tearjerking moments because THIS IS A FREAKING ROMANCE STORY. People get the wrong idea because I don't write any fluff for the past first chapters and then-BOOM! So. Read the genre. It's romance/adventure.**

**Anyways, a bit of humor in here. Funny how Marco comes in every single time they're in _that _position. Maybe I'll have it as a running gag for the story, but then again, we have our MARINEFORD WAR! Which... kind of kills everything. But I do have unexpected things in my head right now, so stay tuned!**

**~Hanada :***

* * *

**Special Thanks To:**

******TDI-Ryro-Eclares**

******kitsune14**

******Ezaria**

******Akira-chan**

******KagomeUchiha101**

******All of you came back ;w; thank you so much! *hugs***


	9. Whitebeard's Ball

**FINALS ARE OVERRRRR! YES! I WILL BE UPDATING EVEN MORE FREQUENTLY NOW! (Even if I am doing a pretty great job right now. Har har).**

**My writing skills seem to be improving a bit, and this chapter was a LOT longer than expected. But it's not as bad as my Prince of Tennis FanFic, which has like 5000 words per chapter ;w;**

**The quote down below... I was gonna write: ****_'Just asked my fiance to dance with me as if it were our first dance. Then he farted and I had to leave the room. Ain't love grand?' _****By Danielle Fishel... but I realize that wasn't quite the message I wanted to get through, lol. Don't think I'll ever use it, so I posted it here xD**

**This chapter is dedicated to Ezaria because she's the only one who reviewed and also gave me a great tip (I will try to make Ace the least OOC as possible! Thank you!)**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I dislike writing disclaimers. *sigh***

"Talking"  
_Thinking_  
(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_We dance for laughter, _

_We dance for tears, _

_We dance for madness,_

_We dance for fears,_

_We dance for hopes,_

_We dance for screams,_

_We are the dancers, we create the dreams._

_-Angela Monet_

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-VIII**

**.:Whitebeard's Ball:.**

* * *

Hikari Island. That was what it was called. It meant _light, _and it was underneath Whitebeard's protection.

His birthday party would be hosted there.

Florence had explained to her what it meant by Whitebeard protecting islands, and revealed that Root Island was technically protected by him as well. Falco grew hot and blushed when she remembered lashing out at Whitebeard for 'blowing her cover' by coming to Root Island when technically he fathered it.

"Falco," Ace called. "We're going to do some shopping. Grab some cash and we'll head on out."

Hikari Island was big enough that 1600 members could roam freely without bumping into each other. There was a carnival here and there, streets packed with people, and thousands of stores displaying clothes and gifts alike.

"I don't think Thatch informed you on any of this..." The second division commander said. "But men are supposed to grab a tux, and of course, you'll need a dress. And you need to buy a gift."

"Huh," she said. "What would Whitebeard want?"

"I dunno, but nothing small for all I care."

After minutes of aimlessly walking around, Falco couldn't stand it anymore.

"Mou! I don't know! I don't even _know _Whitebeard very well!"

Ace sighed tapped a foot impatiently. He loved his captain, but choosing the right gift was hard.

"I know!" Falco suddenly said. "What about a bandana?"

He looked at her skeptically. "He already has one."

Falco punched him in the head. "I know that, but we should just get him one with our names embroidered around it or something! Then he'll always remember us as his children!"

Surprisingly, Ace saw it as a good idea. Too many people would get sake for him, or a new weapon, whatever, but the captain always wore some kind of bandana.

The after an hour or so, the two came out of a fabric store with a huge black piece of cloth. On the inside, it said: _Happy birthday, oyaji! From your favorite daughter and son, Ace and Falco._

"How do we know if we're his favorites?"

"Beats me," she said. "Dunno about you, but I'm pretty sure he loves me."

"Don't we all," Ace said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Next, the two went into a suit shop for Ace since picking his clothes out was a lot easier. The moment the lady at the counter saw Ace, she immediately swooned, clinging to his arm and sending Falco a dirty glare.

"Why hellooooo~" She went, batting her fake eyelashes and swaying her long, blonde hair. "What a handsome young man! Are you looking for something? Shall I help you? What's your size?"

Ace grinned proudly at her compliment. "I'm looking for a new tux."

_No duh... _Falco thought, rolling her eyes. The blonde cashier piled her arms up with different coloured tuxes. Before she could help Ace try them on though, Falco intervened and cocked her head at the lady.

"I'll help him."

"It's really okay," she said, sending Falco a cold glare. The vice commander smirked and got and started polishing her swords.

"Hey Ace, when do you think I'll be promoted to a commander?"

"Huh?" He went, confused as to why Falco suddenly switched topics. She kicked his shins as hard as she could and he nearly looked like he was going to double over.

"I-dunno-probably-soon-because-you're-a-vice-comma nder-right-now-but-Thatch-would-have-to-retire-fir st-why-do-you-ask?" He went, slurring all his words, clutching his shin painfully. Falco looked at the cashier triumphantly, and it seemed to have worked because she was slowly backing away. The _last _thing you wanted to do was to mess with Whitebeard's commanders, especially when all 1600 of them surrounded the island.

"Now Ace, let's try some of these on, ne?"

"Huh?" He went, his pain forgotten. "Let's just buy any and leave, I hate wearing shirts. I feel like I'm going to get suffocated."

Falco rolled her eyes and shoved him into a dressing room. "Change." She said, closing the curtains.

In a couple of minutes, the commander came out wearing black dress shoes, black pants, and a white collared shirt, without buttoning the front. Falco sighed and reached in to do it for him. Ace felt his cheeks heating up.

_Don't blush... _he told himself, gathering all his willpower not to.

"Bow or tie?" She suddenly said.

"Huh? Oh... tie, I guess."

She tied the bow around his collar as he pretended to choke. He hated collars and ties. It made him feel like a chained-up dog.

"You actually look decent," She said, looking at him. "Vest or cummerbund?"

"Cummerbund." She tossed him a wine-coloured one.

"Long or short jacket?"

"Short." She tossed him the shorter, black jacket.

After he put it on, it felt that the room's temperature had gone up 100 degrees more, and he desperately wanted to get out of it. Seeing his pitiful expression, Falco burst out laughing.

"Okay, okay... you can change out of it now."

"YES!" He cried, and in less than a minute, he had changed to his regular attire. When the pair went to the counter to pay for it, the lady gave Falco an ugly look before saying: _tsk._

"You know hun..." She said, ogling at Ace (or rather, his body...), "If you go on a date with me to the carnival in West Block tomorrow, I'll give you a 50% discount."

"Really?" He said, eyes wide. "Sure!"

Falco grabbed Ace's ear and yanked it. He gave out a furious cry, but the girl ignored it and looked at the clerk. She narrowed her eyes and read her nametag pinned to her tight little shirt.

"Look... _Riza... _we're a little busy right now. Preparing for a little party you see, for our father. Whitebeard's an impatient man."

Her eyes widened at the name of the Yonko.

"How angry would he be when he finds out a girl has taken one of his commanders?"

Riza gulped and told Ace of the price of his suit. She'd even gave an extra discount, before waving them off with a friendly smile. Falco walked out of the store triumphantly, as if she had won her first major battle.

Ace smirked. "You were jealous, weren't you?"

Falco turned 50 shades of red before looking up at the sky. "Don't flatter yourself, Ace!"

"You were though, right?" He said, jabbing her waist.

"NO!"

He chuckled. "Okay, okay. Let's go look for _your _stuff now. I'm assuming it'll take a lot more time, and I'm pretty hungry."

The two spent the rest of their day peacefully, browsing through multiple stores, hanging out with other commanders and crewmates alike, before their final stop. So far, no dress had suited Falco's taste and Ace (being the man he was), was starting to get impatient.

"Mou, Falco! Let's go already!" He said, looking at the dark sky. "It's getting pretty late."

"Okay," The girl said simply. Ace gave her a weird look.

"Aren't you going to choose a dress?"

A bag thick bag was in her hand. "I already did."

"WHEN?!"

"When you went to the bathroom after eating too much takoyaki... you were in there for a pretty long time, you know..."

"It wasn't more than fifteen minutes! And it was only because I ran into Marco, so I was talking to him!"

"It's fine, isn't it? After all, I already have the dress."

He groaned. No use talking sense into her. A sigh. "Fine, let's go back to the ship now. We need to wake up early tomorrow so we can start preparing for the main party. I'll take the gift and Oyaji can open it by himself in the morning. Then we'll have the ball in the evening."

The girl winked. "Can't wait!"

* * *

**I-I-I-VIII**

**Book 1, Romance Dawn: 'Falcon In The Sky'  
Saga 1: 'One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)'  
Arc 1: 'Enter, Falco!'  
Chapter 8: Whitebeard's Ball**

* * *

"Now, now!" Florence chimed, picking up the extra pins from the table. "If you keep on fidgeting, the needles will poke you!"

"They already have," She muttered, but stood still, nevertheless. She was in the nurses's quarters, where everyone was putting on extra make-up and running around screaming at each other for this and that. The smell of perfume sickened Falco and for once, she felt that she was getting seasick.

"Have a twirl, hun!" She said. Falco rolled her eyes and obeyed. The nurse smiled, as if she was content with her work. "How Ace would be happy when he sees you! You look gorgeous!"

"Thanks a lot, Florence!"

"No problem!" She smiled. "I'm going with the nurses later, so you go upstairs first since the commanders are already there."

There was a knock on the door. "Falco?" Thatch called. "Come on up already, we're waiting!"

"Hai!" She cried, before opening the door. Thatch, Marco, and Ace who were all outside turned the slightest bit of pink when they saw the vice-commander. Her long, brown hair was curled softly, with a wreath of white flowers placed gently on top of her head. She wore a sleeveless white dress that tightly fitted her body with golden ribbons hanging on the hems, and a thin, braided belt.

Florence smirked when she saw the commanders. "Greek goddess. That was her theme."

Marco blinked a couple of times. "It... suits her."

"Thanks!"

Thatch held out his hand. "Shall we go upstairs?"

The vice commander nodded, placing his hand on top of his. When the four went to the deck, the party had already started. The ships had been connected together once more, and even those who didn't belong in the Whitebeard Pirates were present. Villagers from Hikari Island had seemed to all gather here. The musicians of the ship played a slow and soft melody, and for a second, Falco was surprised to see the drunken men yesterday dressed elegantly, chuckling softly amongst themselves.

"I wonder how many rolls of fabric they used for Whitebeard's suit..." Falco murmured. Ace laughed. He held out a hand to Falco and smiled.

"Dance with me?"

She smacked him on the head. "Idiot. Try asking like a real man."

He got down on one knee and held out a hand, before playfully saying: "Oh fair maiden of the night, would you dance with thee today?"

"I'd be honoured." She giggled, taking his hand. He led her down the stairs onto the main deck, where everyone with a partner was dancing slowly to the music. Their right hands clasped each others, Falco holding her dress with her free hand and Ace gently holding her waist.

They danced like the waves, calming yet enchanting... soon they were perfectly on beat. The two had never formally danced before, but their bodies seemed to move on their own. Their eyes locked as the two smiled gently at each other. Ace saw her golden eyes. They looked as tired as ever, but had a tint of happiness inside them. Flickering like candlelight, they looked at the second commander gently.

_Thank you... _He suddenly heard. But no one had spoken.

**(You Raise Me Up-Sohyang)**

_**When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;**_

"Ne, Ace," Falco said softly so others couldn't hear.

"Hm?"

**When**_** troubles come and my heart burdened be;**_

"What does it feel like to be in love?

_**Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,**_

"What..."

"Just a question!"

**_Until you come and sit awhile with me._**

"I'm not sure..." he admitted. "But it must be something wonderful."

"But it leaves you vulnerable..."

He shrugged. "Maybe it's worth it though."

_**You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;**_  
_**You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;**_

"But no matter how vulnerable you are..." The second commander said. "If you're protecting something you love the hardest, doesn't that ultimately make you stronger?"

_**I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;**_  
_**You raise me up... To more than I can be.**_

Falco smiled softly at him. "I like that saying."

"Me too."

_**You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;**_  
_**You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;**_  
_**I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;**_  
_**You raise me up... To more than I can be.**_

"Then..." Falco went. "Do you get stronger if you protect me?"

_**There is no life - no life without its hunger;**_  
_**Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;**_  
_**But when you come and I am filled with wonder,**_  
_**Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.**_

Ace thought hard for a second. Would he? He certainly wouldn't leave Falco to just die. Would he fight with all he had to rescue her if she was in danger?

"Yes." He concluded.

_**You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;**_  
_**You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;**_  
_**I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;**_  
_**You raise me up... To more than I can be.**_

"Then... does that mean you love me?"

_**You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;**_  
_**You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;**_  
_**I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;**_  
_**You raise me up... To more than I can be.**_

"I do, Falco," He said without hesitation. The man grinned. "You wouldn't hesitate to protect me either, right?"

_**You raise me up... To more than I can be.**_

"Of course!" The Vice Commander went. "After all, in a game of chess, the queen would protect the king."

_They were like children. They did not understand the concept of love and lust like ordinary people did today. It was pure and blinding, so honest and truthful... The thought of becoming stronger for someone else because they loved each other, as a family member and a companion was an achievement and their pride, as well as their reason to live._

_That was their definition of love. But this definition was proved to be vulnerable, especially days later, when tragedy fell upon the commanders, and the crew noted to be the most powerful in the world._

_Had the two foreseen the massive black cloud over then, they would've escaped it._

_But cruel faith had locked the two together, only to rip them apart._

* * *

**We all know what this means... you might not be seeing A/N's for a while now because I find that sometimes writing notes at the end of an impacting chapter destroys the... impact of it, so just PM or review if you have any questions!**

**I have another chapter between this and Thatch's murder (*sobs*). This is Chapter 8 so Chapter 10 will be the LAST chapter of the first arc. (;w; I can't believe we're already here, it's a miracle. Thank you so much for your ongoing support!).**

**~Hanada :***

* * *

**Special Thanks To:**

**Ezaria**

**(Where did all of you guys go? *hunts you all down*)**

**GET READY FOR SOME EPIC DRAMA!**


	10. Serendipity

**:O IS IT TRUE?! IS IT REALLY TRUE? DID HANADA POST ANOTHER CHAPTER JUST AFTER ONE DAY?!**

**Why yes she did.**

**Enjoy, because even if it is short, this will be the last happy chapter you'll see in a LONG time. Grab your tissues, everyone!**

**Random: ONE PIECE FANDOM WILL TAKE OVER PRINCE OF TENNIS IN 15 STORIES! NOOOOOOO~ (Sorry guys but I'm a diehard TeniPuri fan :P Fuji Syusuke for the freaking win).**

* * *

**Disclaimer: How many times do I have to say it...**

"Talking"  
_Thinking_  
(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_Art and love are the last forms of magic in this world_

_-Unknown_

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-IX**

**.:Serendipity:.**

* * *

Falco felt sick. No, that was the wrong word for how she felt right now. Guilt. Anger. Embarrassment. And it was all because of that stupid flame-brain that the entire crew was laughing at her now.

She couldn't entirely blame him... I mean, she was the one who fell, anyways. But he should've just left her. Why did he jump in?

They were training that morning and Marco was especially strict with his commanders (too much slacking off after the party) and Falco was the first one up against him. Even if she did have a devil fruit of some hybrid kind, Marco was _not _an easy opponent. She knew instantly why he was so respected amongst the crew. At one point they were using haki and he kicked her a little too hard. She was okay, but because it happened so suddenly she didn't realize she had fallen into the water. Thatch was one of the only commanders with no Devil Fruit power on deck, so he was going to jump in but Ace had beaten him to it.

Only, he was just about as bad of a swimmer as she was.

As the two sank lower and lower into the abyss, the alarmed voices of their crewmates started to mix together and eventually, disappear. Ace hugged her tightly as they sank down. Her golden eyes widened as she looked at him... for a second, the commander looked almost frightened, but the light in his eyes didn't die down.

Where _were _her crewmates? Shouldn't they have been jumping in to rescue her by now? And why the hell did Ace jump in even though he was clearly incapable of rescuing her?

Suddenly, a jolt ran through her brain as she clutched her head painfully, and by accident released all the air her lung had held.

_Falco... whatever you do, don't step into the ocean. It's dangerous._

The girl started coughing, due to the lack of air. She felt lightheaded and was just about to pass out when she suddenly felt a soft pair of lips against hers. Dizziness and pain was all gone when she realized Ace was kissing her.

He was _kissing _her.

Falco mentally kicked herself. Of course he wasn't- he was just trying to give her his oxygen so she could actually breathe. But that didn't stop the light blush in her cheeks from showing.

Aaaand of course, since fate was always a dick to her, Thatch and fellow Whitebeard Pirate crewmembers decided to jump in right at that second, only to find the two devil fruit users... in that state.

Oh lordie.

Thatch gave her a teasing grin before holding on to her wrist and pulled her up, where she gasped for air once she reached the surface. Ace, accompanied by two other pirates, also panted heavily as he looked at the sun above.

Falco touched her lips gently. Thatch's hair was ruined, but he gave Falco a knowing wink.

At that moment, she really wanted to punch her senior.

And that was why she was in her room, crawled up in her bed, hugging knees tightly. Come to think of it, wasn't the bed Ace's bed? Wasn't it his room for that matter? She couldn't be in there!

_There I go again... _Falco sweatdropped. She felt like cursing right now. Outside of the door she could hear whispering and giggles. If it was her in her normal state, she would've thrown them across the Grand Line and back, but right now she had no strength left to do so. Cursing seemed like the only idea for now, and so she did.

"Hey," Vice-Commander Parker chuckled, nudging Thatch. "Is Falco going to be okay? She hasn't been moving for the past thirty minutes!"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," the fourth commander grinned. "But holy hell, look at all those pillows she's ripped apart."

"Do you think it was her first?" Falco asked, eyes wide. "Did Ace really just take her first ki-"

"DAMN YOU, ACEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"..."

* * *

_Glare..._

_Glare..._

Ace could _not _take it anymore.

"I TRIED TO RESCUE YOU, OKAY?!" He cried, arms outstretched. "I DIDN'T WANT TO, BUT YOUR LIFE WAS ON THE FREAKING LINE!"

Falco stood up, slamming the table with her hand. "I was perfectly fine, thank you! And Thatch would've saved me anyways!"

The entire ship which was eating dinner outdoors stared at their two commanders. Their eyes went back and forth. Who would win? And who was right?

"If Thatch was only a minute late, you would've lost consciousness!"

"How do you know?"

"BECAUSE YOU FREAKING COUGHED ALL OF YOUR OXYGEN LEFT, THAT'S HOW I KNOW!"

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO KISS ME BECAUSE OF IT!"

The moment she said that, the entire crew started to clap and whistle. "Go get 'im, girl!" Some teased.

"Yoi," Marco went, giving Florence her plate of food. "Why is Falco overreacting so much? Is it really that big of a deal? I mean, the kid only tried to rescue her... seems pretty harsh."

"Oh Marco," Florence went, shaking her head and chuckling. "You really don't know how a woman's heart works, do you?"

"What did you say?!"

The blonde nurse rolled her eyes good-naturedly before looking at the couple that continued to fight.

"You know..." She said. "I think they actually like each other."

The first commander immediately spat out his food and chugged down a cup of water, before patting his chest vigorously.

"What?!"

She sighed and shook her head, a look of pity on her face. "You REALLY don't get it, do you? Don't you remember the time when we first picked Falco up and Ace volunteered to take care of her in the second division?"

"It was only because he didn't want to bother Thatch," Marco said, resting his head on his hand. Florence nodded.

"That may be, but remember how many times they argue with each other? Do you remember how many times he's laughed with her around? Doesn't he look happy?"

Marco slowly nodded, agreeing. Ace _did _look like he was a lot happier than before. The first commander was always a little worried for the boy. He hoped Ace would do nothing brash and continue his peaceful ways. There had been many nights when he'd wake up in cold sweat when Ace had first joined the crew, thinking he had killed himself. But Marco knew better. Ace wasn't as weak as that.

For the longest time, he considered giving him a roommate, even his own... so Ace wouldn't feel as lonely. He trusted the second commander, no doubt, but he was always worried for him. Even if he was strong, he was still pretty young and Marco considered him as a kid.

By being with Falco, he truly shined as a commander and did look a lot happier than he did before. For some reason, Marco was a little sad that Falco had done something he could never do so easily... keep the guy always smiling. But no matter now.

"Marco..." Florence said, placing a hand on his. "Remember the day we found out Falco had lost all her memories? Did you see Ace's reaction to that? He was really protective of her... and when they danced... their expressions."

"Doesn't mean he likes her..." Marco said stubbornly. Florence sighed and shook her head. Falco was throwing plates by now as Ace dodged, scampering around like a monkey. The crew laughed and cheered. Though the vice-commander looked aggravated, the crew seemed to be enjoy the 'friendly' fight.

Ace shot another flying plate with his fire gun as he looked at Falco tiredly. "You said..." _CRASH! _"You said you wouldn't hesitate to protect me either if my life was in danger, right? So I merely did the same thing!"

"Now, now," Florence smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's very kind of you, Ace, and I'm sure Falco appreciates it... she's probably just embarrassed. Next time, do it where no one's watching, ne?" And with a teasing wink, she left the dining hall.

"I WOULDN'T BE LOOKING AWAY, FIRE BOY!"

"Oh shi-"

_Crash!_

* * *

**I-I-I-IX**

**Book 1, Romance Dawn: 'Falcon In The Sky'  
Saga 1: 'One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)'  
Arc 1: 'Enter, Falco!'  
Chapter 9: Serendipity**

* * *

"Falco... uh... can I come in?" Ace asked. He inwardly sighed. Why was he asking for permission to his own room? He rubbed his face painfully. Falco was merciless with glass plates. He would have to make sure she never threw one again... Thatch's expression when a stray one hit him dead on... the Fourth Commander was a man to be feared.

"You don't need to ask..." He heard the voice of Falco. She was lying on the bed, hands behind her head, legs outstretched. She didn't even glance at Ace walking in, and only continued to stare at the ceiling.

Ace cleared his throat. He wasn't exactly used to having conversations with girls. "Uh... I'd like to apologize for today... I... um..."

Falco got up from the bed, hair messy. She looked at Ace and gave him a small smile. "It's actually me who should be apologizing. I overreacted when you only tried to save me. Gomen, Ace!"

_Thank god she gets it... _Ace thought, almost rolling his eyes. Falco looked at the commander.

"What's up?"

She put on a small smile before sticking her tongue out. "I think I would've done the same if you had fallen, now that I think of it. And I'm pretty thankful you saved me. You kept your word."

"Of course," He said, puffing his chest out a little bit more. "I'm a man!"

She laughed. The tension that was between the two seemed to have disappeared at the sound of her twinkling chuckles. Ace relaxed. _That's good..._

Her eyes suddenly clouded as her golden eyes flickered dangerously. She leaned closer to Ace before whispering: "Do you believe in superstitions?"

Ace snorted. "No. And what's with this question, all of a sudden?"

Falco sighed, looking troubled. A black bird was perched on the windowsill... a crow. Its beady black eyes looked cunningly into her own. She nearly laughed at the irony of it all. There were no crows in the middle of the damn ocean.

"The devil fruit Thatch found the other day... I just don't have a good feeling about that." She whispered, still looking at the crow. Ace stared at her strangely. Thatch had found a Devil Fruit lying around when they raided a ship the other day. The rule was whoever found it, can eat it, so Thatch was planning to do so tomorrow.

"It's just a devil fruit. Oh, is it because if Thatch consumes it, then all four commanders of Unit 1 will have a Devil Fruit ability and we can't rescue each other if we fall in the ocean? Well don't worry... we have 400 other crew members on board so we should be safe!"

"It's not that. I don't know how to describe it, but I just have a bad feeling about that fruit."

Ace reassuringly smiled at her. "You're probably just tired. You'll feel better in the morning. Maybe you have a fever from the water before? Let's see..."

Falco grew warm as Ace gently pushed her bangs up and touched her forehead with his. After a couple of seconds, he pulled away and grinned at the girl, giving her a thumbs-up. "Nope! No fever! But if you _do _feel sick, you should go to Florence."

"I'm fine, Ace."

He gave her a grin before kicking his shoes off and sliding underneath the bed covers. "All your worries will be gone by tomorrow morning, I promise. Don't fret about it... I'm here, right? Just like this morning..."

His eyes drooped as he yawned and sleepily said: "I promise..."

Falco smiled gently at the sleeping commander beside her. She took his orange hat before placing it on top of the table, as she too, got ready to go to sleep. Even if Ace's words were kind, she couldn't fight off the uneasy feeling inside of her.

_You better keep your promise, Ace._

* * *

**Special Thanks To:**

**Ezaria**

**Akira-chan (you came back ;w;)**

**AiSoraix3**


	11. The Next Time We Meet

**1) No more A/N for a while now because I don't want to spoil the mood at the end of the chapter, since I'm taking the challenge to write this as dramatically as possible.  
2) I updated a little later than expected because sleeping took up too much time ;w;  
3) This is the LAST CHAPTER of the FIRST ARC. We're here already guys. Thank you so, so much.  
4) The One Piece Fandom has officially taken over the Prince of Tennis FanFiction fandom as of now. Even if I do love OP, I can't help but feel sad ;w; (please don't kill me, but Fuji Syusuke ftw)  
5) Not completely satisfied with this chapter because I wrote it in a rush. It kind of sounds like my Gr. 7 writing ;w;  
****6) The following quote is my all-time favorite quote from my all-time favorite childhood anime (still is my favorite).  
****7) Please R&R! I'll do Special Thanks at the top for now.**

**Special Thanks To:  
asianpianisttogo  
feelthebreeze18  
exclusive-rainbowdreamers  
come-at-me-bro55  
Ezaria  
Akira-chan  
AiSoraix3**

**Love the reviews! Keep 'em coming! P.S: Beware of language. Falco is ****_not _****happy.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

"Talking"  
_Thinking_  
(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_Throughout life, people only get a single chance to meet one another… sometimes this single moment could be more important than life itself. To meet again… is merely based on luck._

_-Mori Ai, The Law of Ueki Plus_

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-X**

**.:The Next Time We Meet:.**

* * *

_WAKE UP! WAKE UP, THATCH, WAKE UP!_

_Stop it, Falco. It's no use!_

_DON'T SCREW WITH ME! It can't be true, it can't, it can't, it just CAN'T! I WON'T ACCEPT THIS!_

_FALCO! Is this the first time you've seen someone die?! No matter how much you miss them, you can't bring them back!_

_How could you, Marco? How _could _you?! Weren't you his friend?_

_I am. And he was one of my greatest companions. We can't do anything but to let him rest in peace for now._

_Rest in peace? Marco, do you fucking think Thatch can rest in peace right now?_

_Let's go, Falco._

_No! Let me go, Ace! I'm going to fucking rip Teach's head off, how DARE he?! All for that devil fruit... that stupid, stupid devil fruit..._

Never before had the Whitebeard Pirates felt so helpless in their lives. Yes, people got killed all the time due to constant attacks from the Marines, or by drowning, or even from accidents by partying too hard or the occasional alcohol poisoning. But murder from a family member? It was unheard of, and by all means, unacceptable.

Falco nearly laughed at the irony of it all. How the tides seemed to be greater that day, or how the rain and thunder recklessly came down from the sky, as if heaven itself wanted to kill them off.

_That doesn't seem too bad... _Falco thought. _At least Thatch will be there if I die..._

It seemed too surreal, how it was just several hours ago the commanders were drinking and having fun, teasing and prodding each other, and just days ago she held his hand and danced with him during Whitebeard's Ball. If being a vice-commander meant that you had to wait for your own commander to die, she didn't want the position anymore.

The entire crew seemed to know that something was wrong- hell, of course something was wrong. Marshall D. Teach of the Second Division had _murdered _the commander of the Fourth. Marshall, a nobody, had stabbed Thatch in the middle of the night and took off with his devil fruit. Unbelievable. His death had made the crew extremely uneasy, but there was a strange feeling between Marco, Ace Jozu, and Falco now. Marco was the strict but kindhearted First Commander that deemed respect from everyone, while there was the narcoleptic and energetic young Ace, and the quiet yet strong Jozu, whose personalities all clashed. The person that had truly bonded them was none other than Thatch...

But he was gone now.

Needless to say, Falco was the new commander, but no one had bothered congratulating her for it, not that she wanted to be, anyways. She was close to Marco- everyone was. She and Ace were roommates good fighting partners. Jozu was probably the number one person she trusted when it came to defending her. But Thatch? Thatch was a father, a brother, and a best friend to her. Being under his division meant that she would follow all of his commands. They had fought together, partied together, talked together. But that best friend was suddenly yanked from her grasp.

Which was why she was in her room right now, crying her eyes out. Ace gently placed a hand on her shoulders, which she pushed away angrily.

"How can this happen... please say it's all a dream..." She whispered, burying her face into her hands. Ace didn't say anything, as his dark eyes were covered underneath his hat.

Falco suddenly gave the commander an angry glare. "It's _your _fault, isn't it?! Teach was in _your _division, but _you _didn't stop it! It's your fault Thatch died!"

Ace looked at her in surprise, eyes showing signs of hurt and betrayal. For a second, Falco felt extremely guilty, but pushed those feelings aside when the truth dawned on her.

"So it's my fault now?" Ace screeched, standing up. He placed a hand on his chest. "Do...do you think I _wanted _Thatch to die? Are you insane?!"

"It's true though, isn't it?! You couldn't control or stop Teach from murdering Thatch!"

"It's not like you stopped him, huh, Mihawk?"

"Oh so it's _my _fault now?"

"I didn't say that! You were the one who blamed me in the first-"

"ENOUGH!" A new voice shouted. The two turned to face the door where a fuming Marco stood, fists clenched tightly. "Marco..." The Fourth Division commander whispered.

The first commander gave a glare to his younger friends with an expression Falco would never forget. Yes, there was anger, betrayal, and hurt in his eyes... but Marco always had that look when someone had died in the crew. But this time, it was a little bit different.

Fury. Disbelief. Pity. Sadness.

How could such contrasting emotions linger in one's eyes at the same time? Falco wondered.

"Portgas D. Ace. Falco D. Mihawk," He said, voice steely. Never before had he called the two by their full names until now. Falco gasped when he saw Marco's hand drenched in blood, knuckles black and blue. His fingernails had dug into his hands, and the bruises were probably from punching his wall one too many times. Cool, composed, easygoing Commander Marco was upset, the way Falco saw it.

"Fighting in front of Whitebeard? Fine. Arguing in front of Marines? Fine. Punching each other to see who would get the bed? Fine. But acting childish while one of our commanders got murdered? It is unacceptable. We have 1600 people to take care of right now and some of the most important people in the crew are arguing amongst themselves? If you have that much spare time, bring Teach to me."

He gave Falco the coldest glare imaginable. "Don't _ever _say it's Ace's fault. He didn't kill Thatch, it was Teach, and it was unexpected."

The commander gave the same look to Ace. "You should be helping everyone recover, instead of picking a fight with your roommate. You know better than this. You've been here longer."

"Ace! Commander Ace!" A voice cried. "We have a problem! The floorboards are breaking apart and it's starting to flood! Please come immediately!"

Ace gave Marco a blank look, before stiffly walking out the door, going upstairs. Once the door was firmly closed. Marco sat on the bed, head hanging down.

"To be honest..." Marco whispered. "I don't know what to do either..."

Falco slowly closed her eyes in pain, to stop the tears from falling down. Hands clenched tightly, she sat beside her senior, back straight to gain her composure. Her lips quivered, but she did not want to cry in front of Marco.

Suddenly, she heard drops splatter on the floor. She turned her head to her left quickly, and took a sharp breath when she saw Marco weeping. The tears, like those of a crystal, seemed to shatter when they hit the cold, wooden floor.

"Thatch..." He whispered. "Why did you leave like this?"

* * *

**I-I-I-X**

**Book 1, Romance Dawn: 'Falcon In The Sky'  
Saga 1: 'One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)'  
Arc 1: 'Enter, Falco!'  
Chapter 10: The Next Time We Meet**

* * *

One month had passed since the death of Thatch, the commander of the Fourth Division. A so-called 'sacred' island was used to bury the man. The land mass was very small, but Whitebeard liked it because it was right in the middle of the ocean, where Thatch really belonged.

Speaking of which, Falco wondered what Whitebeard's reaction was when Thatch died. She knew he was angry, but she was too caught up in her own emotions she didn't check properly- not that it mattered anyways.

By now, Falco had gained an epithet: The Silver Flamed Falcon, after she revealed her fire/bird hybrid form as well, for which she had 'white' or silver wings on her back. Marco had joked that he had blue fire while Ace had the regular red, and now Falco supported the silver. If Thatch was here, he would've laughed along with them.

The bitter aftertaste still lingered in their mouths, but no one talked about it as if it were a taboo. Inside, however, everyone had vowed revenge on the day they would bring Teach's head severed to Thatch, so the man could finally rest in peace.

Although Falco wanted to ask what kind of a devil fruit Thatch had found, she couldn't bring herself to question her crewmates. It was too painful, even thinking about the fourth commander.

Everyone fought and slept the way they always had, but Falco couldn't help but feel that there was some sort of fake feeling in it, as if every smile and every phrase they had said was just forced out of them. It felt strange, but strange was at its limit when she saw Ace.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, as he took out a bag that resembled a watermelon from the closet. He shoved shorts and shirts into the bag (not that he wore any, anyways), as well as a map and a compass. He gave her a grunt as a reply.

"Are we going on a trip?" She tried asking again. But no reply.

"Ace!" The girl cried, frustrated. The last thing she wanted to do was to talk to herself. It didn't help therapeutically at all. She leaned over to ask him once more because the look in his eyes as he was folding his t-shirt were definitely abnormal.

"I can't leave it alone anymore," He whispered, putting his orange cowboy hat on. "He can't rest in peace like this. It's my fault he died anyways, so I should take responsibility for it."

Falco's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?! It's not your fault! It's that damn Teach's-"

"You said it yourself once, Falco." He whispered, eyes shadowed. "Even if it's indirect, I should still bring Teach back with my own hands."

Suddenly, he leaned forwards, embracing the fourth commander. The pair of golden eyes widened, looking flustered.

"You mean so much to me," He said. "I wish you'd know how I'm feeling right now, but it's not the right time, and I can't leave you in vain."

"L-leave me in vain? The hell are you saying?" She asked. Suddenly, it dawned on her as Ace's two arms released the girl. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Stop talking as if you're going to die..."

"I... just don't have a good feeling about this," He said, looking out the window. The girl waved her arms desperately.

"Then don't do it!" She cried. "Stop whatever it is you're going to do!"

"I'm leaving, Falco. And I'm not coming back until I bring Teach's head with me."

Falco's hands dropped as a sickening feeling crawled into her. For some reason, she had felt that he was going to say this all along, but she had always pushed the thought away. If Teach was strong enough to kill Thatch, then it meant that Ace had a good chance of losing in a fight with him as well.

Golden eyes locked his own when she said: "Then take me with you. Thatch was _my _commander. I should be able to go along as well... I can help you! It's not safe going by your-"

"Falco..." he whispered. "It's too dangerous."

She couldn't take it anymore. All the anger bottled up inside for one month finally exploded.

"To hell with this!" She yelled, arms outstretched. "I'm evidently equal in strength with you and Marco, if not stronger, and if not, I _will _be stronger one day. Are you telling me you won't take me with you because your pretty little pride will get hurt if a girl protects you?"

"That's not it!" He cried. "This isn't about strength, and you know that!"

"You're right. Maybe it isn't. But you keep on talking as if you're not coming back, and you're giving me a bad feeling about this. You're part of this crew, and so am I. You're my family member, and my family is precious, and I don't want you to get hurt. I don't understand... take Marco with you then, or Jozu... anyone!"

His eyes were shadowed once more as he looked down. "I can't."

Tears brimmed in the fourth commander's eyes as she gazed at him worriedly. "You better come back alive... you better."

Ace gave her a small smile before bending forwards, extending a pinky finger. She looked up in surprise, before hooking her own to his. Showing a confident grin, he said: "I promise."

* * *

"Hey," Marco softly whispered in Falco's ear, shaking her. "Wake up, Ace is leaving."

The fourth division commander immediately got up, though not quite awake yet. She blinked a couple of times before saying: "Already?"

He shrugged and exited the room. "Asl him yourself."

The girl quickly put on slippers and a warm sweater to prevent herself from freezing in the chilly air. She rushed upstairs, whisps of fog coming out of her mouth as she ran towards the edge of the deck. The sea was misty as dozens of crew members lined up on one side of the _Moby Dick. _The other three ships also faced a small, yellow boat, floating by itself on the water.

"Well then, good luck my son," Whitebeard said, looking at Ace. He nodded.

"I'll be off now."

"Hold it!" Marco cried when he saw Falco run up to the edge. The girl panted, crashing into the rail. The First Division Commander helped her stand, looking at the two things hanging in her hands.

"A-Ace..." She whispered, tears in her eyes. "Gomen..."

The fire-user looked at her in surprise.

"You better come back alive you moron, ya hear?!" She yelled, throwing him his trademark hat and a dagger. "Take them with you as a tribute from me, and don't forget to ask your help when you need it!"

Ace grinned, as the Striker slowly gained speed. Hundreds of men cheered, bidding his farewell. He cupped his mouth with his hands so everyone could hear his last remark, and something that would echo in Falco's mind for the rest of her life.

"Wait for me, Ojo-sama!"

Everyone waved as the commander departed the Whitebeard Kaizokudan.

* * *

_The crew was full of hope. Their second division commander whom they were so proud of was going to seek revenge for a nakama._

_But deep within, Marco, Shirohige and Falco had a terrible feeling in bottom of their stomachs, for which they couldn't say out loud… to not suppose what could be possible. To stop imagining the unthinkable._

_Yes... By their next meeting, the two sides will face each other in pain and betrayal as a promise is shattered and a loved one is lost…_


	12. Towards Our Futures

**A/N: At the bottom.**

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece**

"Talking"  
_Thinking_  
(letters in bold with brackets is a quick A/N)

**~Hanada**

* * *

_Maybe nothing in this worlds happens by accident... as everything happens for a reason, our destiny slowly starts to take form._

_-Rayleigh_

**ONE PIECE: ROMANCE DAWN 1**

**FALCON IN THE SKY**

**I-I-I-XI**

**.:Towards Our Futures:.**

* * *

_Wait for me, ojo-sama!_

The words echoed in her mind again and again. It was the last thing Ace had said to the vice-no, _commander,_ before his departure. She snorted. _Ojo-sama? _Princess? Really?

Needless to say, she wasn't very keen on listening to Marco's constant nagging, nor Jozu's strict lessons on how to defend yourself, nor Vista's constant requests to have a match. She just wasn't in the mood to do anything, anymore.

A rumor had spread in the kaizokudan that the Fourth Division was cursed, and all commanders who led that certain crew died a painful, or non-worthy death. Thatch was the most recent example. Then there was the commander before, named Maria. Whenever Falco asked someone about this particular leader, they all smiled sadly and didn't seem like they wanted to talk about her.

"Marco," She called the first commander. He gave one of his tired smiles to the girl. After Thatch's death, the captain always smiled a little sadly, as if the friend he had always shared his jokes and grins with was still beside him. He walked over to her.

"Nani-yoi?"

"Who is Star D. Maria?"

Marco looked surprised, and Falco nearly sighed of relief. The commander was always a little gloomy after that fateful day so it was reassuring to see that he didn't always look like a mourning person. Marco, however, was panicking inside.

_What is she talking about? She knows who Maria is, for god's sake. _He thought, remembering the time when he first found out about Falco's amnesia, and Florence tested her by asking who her parents were. She replied _clearly _that it was Dracule D. Mihawk and Star D. Maria. **(A/N: Chapter 5)**

_Masaka... can amnesia get worse? _He thought, wondering if he should bring Florence. But when he turned, all he found were two golden eyes, gazing intensely at him.

He smiled before leaning on the edge of the rail, eyes looking distant. The waves softly splashed against the ship, seagulls wandering about. He could tell Florence later... as for now, he just wanted the wave of nostalgia to hit him, and never let him go.

"Maria... she was the commander before Thatch. A very, very great one at that."

"Oh." She said. It was rare to hear about female commanders. Most of the girls that were in the crew (if not all) were nurses on the ship. Females themselves were rare in Whitebeard's crew. "Why was she so... great?" Falco asked, a little interested. Marco chuckled.

"Well... she was... the mother of the crew, I guess you can say. Funny, because she joined the crew nearly the same time as Thatch and I, but we never got ourselves such grand names like the 'father of the crew'. I guess Oyaji has that one pretty much locked up, huh?"

A shrug. "So what?"

The First Commander chuckled. "Well... Maria was a really great leader, for one thing. After Roger's execution, the seas started to get extremely dangerous, and we fought a _lot _more than this. Twenty-something-or-other years ago, deaths of commanders were a lot more common than today, but Thatch, Maria, and I lived on. There was a showdown between her and Thatch for the fourth division, and Maria won, with Thatch serving her. She was a great commander... she was."

"Now that I think about it," Falco went, raising an eye. "That name does sound familiar. Strange."

Marco smiled sadly. She really _had _forgotten about her own mother. He cleared his throat before saying: "Maria served to be an amazing fighter. Quick, brilliant with tactics... even in the darkest of the storms, she'd still hold that smile. A fallen star that radiated its light in the dark seas. We could've never survived without her. She made everyone feel so... at home. Whitebeard's presence terrified many, but it was always Thatch and Maria who showed people the way. The Fourth Division was striving. Until..."

When his voice faltered, Falco's eyes narrowed. "What happened to her?"

He put a forced grin on. _Again! _The girl had gotten sick of all these 'fraud smiles' and the meaningless sympathies she had gotten from her other crewmates.

"It was something even worse than death. Well, saying I want her dead more than this would make me seem like an ogre, but she got married."

"Oh," The commander said for the second time. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Marco shrugged before facing forwards, watching his crew train. "Well, it was bad for several reasons. One, we had to support and give food and shelter to her husband... mind you, he wasn't from our crew. Two, it would mean she had found herself a different family... other than us. It was a little sad to see her leave so easily. Three, when she got pregnant, she couldn't fight anymore. And also..."

When he blushed and looked down, Falco put a mischievous grin on her face. "You liked her, didn't you?!"

"SHH!" He went, when a couple of people stared at the two. He waved them off and they bowed, resuming their practice. Marco secretly hoped this part of the conversation Falco would forget as well.

A sigh. "Yes, I did like her. For over ten years at that. But to the man she married, she fell in love with at first sight. It was a little saddening to see her leave me like that."

"Aw," Falco said sympathetically, patting his back. "Don't worry! I'll always be by your side!"

"Thanks?"

"No problem!"

He chuckled, eyes looking distant once more. "That's right... it was grand, her wedding. It was. We had it on the _Moby Dick... _all of us showered her with gifts. She looked stunning that day, looking as happy as ever... then she got pregnant, and after a tough decision, she left the crew... just like that... years of us fighting back to back, gone. Simply because of a man."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute..." Falco suddenly said, alarmed. She raised her hand. "Wait, wait, wait. I keep on hearing she's _dead _though. Yeah, what happened there?"

Marco shrugged before turning to face her. "A rather... unfortunate accident. For someone who fought so bravely, we had always believed she would die fighting with us, but it was just a mere accident. A fire hazard."

"You're kidding me."

He shook his head. "But this is where it gets interesting. Some people, including her husband, believe that she was murdered, and it wasn't simply an accident."

"Who would kill her?" Falco asked, eyes widening.

"I don't know... but Whitebeard has many, many enemies. If you're that powerful and that famous, more and more people would try and get revenge on you. Maria was no exception, and it _is _possible she was killed by someone."

"And?" Falco said. "What about her kid?"

_It's you! _Marco wanted to scream out. But for some reason, he couldn't say it out loud... it would be too cruel for Falco. It wasn't the right time, he decided. Not when Thatch is dead and Ace gone.

He gave her a bittersweet smile. "She lives. And she is a fine, fine warrior, serving a powerful crew."

* * *

**I-I-I-XI**

**Book 1, Romance Dawn: 'Falcon In The Sky  
Saga 1: One Piece/Grand Line (Saga)  
Arc 1: The Mugiwara Kaizokudan, and the Great Yonko, Shanks!  
Chapter 11: Towards Our Futures**

* * *

Falco sat on the comfortable bed, clutching the log book Florence had given her many months ago. She had filled it out, every day, except when Thatch died. She only wrote the date for that one.

After writing about Maria, Falco rolled over on the sheets. Her young mind formed a dangerous plan, one Marco and Ace would never approve of. But the little voice in her head always said: _Why not?_

Truth be told, she couldn't sit around and wait for Ace anymore. It had been at least a month since anyone spotted the stupid freckle-faced, arrogant bastard. She was worried sick, and the once comfortable and homey room seemed not-so welcoming anymore without him around.

Then it hit her. Nothing would be the same without Ace.

Her identity... her will to survive.

It sounded terribly sappy and cliché , but Ace was the first one who actually _listened _to her, gave her an identity... Marco and Thatch were her friends, yes, but they were also like teachers. Ace was that person she'd always get in trouble with... punished together, feasted together, danced together... hell, they were even roommates.

With Thatch gone, a piece of her heart felt like it had been ripped apart, but with Ace gone as well, it was just too much to handle.

If it meant that it would save this gloomy crew once and for all, she would bring him back at all costs.

The commander closed the logbook before rushing outside.

* * *

"I've had it." She told Marco, once she was on the deck. Everyone stopped what they were doing before staring at her strangely. Marco as well, was no exception.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's been weeks since we've last heard of him. I'll track him down and aid him with my own two hands."

"I'm afraid that's not going to work out, Falco," She heard the booming voice of her captain. She turned to face the man and politely bowed. "Oyaji."

The captain looked down at the new commander with his intense gaze. "I will not sacrifice another one of my commanders. Marco cannot simply hold off Unit 1 by himself. This crew would go into a state of disaster."

She challenged his gaze with her equally intense, golden eyes. "We know more than well enough that Marco is fine holding Unit 1 by himself. And that's not the only problem. You know what power Teach is holding within him, right? But you let Ace go after him."

"Even if I forced him down, he would leave without my permission."

"Same here. I _will _go after Ace."

"A pirate cannot leave the crew without his captain's word!"

"Then I'll quit being a pirate!"

Everyone gasped. Was Falco challenging _the _king of the seas?

"DON'T MESS WITH ME YOU LITTLE RUNT!"

"WANNA GO, OLD MAN?!"

In the corner of Vista's eyes, he saw Florence faint and carried off by her friends. He stopped his laughter from coming up. Falco had managed to knock out _the _Florence, who didn't bat an eye against ripped out arms and burnt flesh. Impressive.

"Falco," Marco said, grabbing her wrist. "What's gotten into you? You were fine a couple of hours ago," He said, remembering his conversation with her about Maria. Why the sudden mood swing?

She gave him a look that said: _You're supposed to be with me on this!_

The commander snorted and replied with a look that said: _No, I'm not._

_Traitor._

_Yeah, yeah._

"Falco," Whitebeard suddenly said. Everyone turned to face him. His composure, sturdy as ever, loomed over the young commander. "Why do you need to find Ace, anyways? Don't you trust him?"

For a second, Falco hesitated at that question. Did she trust Ace? He was a dependable fighter, a great friend, and a well-respected crewmate.

"Yeah, I trust him," She concluded.

"Then why-"

"Oyaji," Falco suddenly interrupted. "I think... you and I know more than well enough this man Ace is chasing after is _not _ordinary. Ace is an amazing fighter, and an equally amazing captain... but sometimes, his pride and his thick skull gets the better of him, and I have a bad feeling whatever he's chasing after, won't be easy to defeat. That's why... I want to help him," She said, looking down. Her fists were clenched tightly as her eyes were shadowed. "Ace was the first person I properly talked to after thirteen years of isolation. He gave me an identity, and introduced me to a wonderful family."

Whitebeard looked in surprise as Falco raised her head, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"I want to repay him... and go back to the times when everyone was laughing and singing every day, like drunken pirates! No one has been the same since Thatch's death, and no one has been actually laughing since Ace left! You know that, don't you? What would happen if even Ace disappeared from this world?" She went on her knees, causing everyone to gasp. "I _can't _lose Ace... I won't accept it. I'll support him in any way I can, so please... let me go."

A tear splattered soundlessly on the wooden deck. "It'll be my last request... captain."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then, Whitebeard stood up from his massive chair and peered down on the fourth commander. He pointed his massive _bisento _an inch away from her face. Falco looked up.

"I'll give you my permission," The captain said. "However, you must promise me one thing."

The girl looked up and nodded, smiling. Anything would do!

"Promise me you and Ace will come back alive. If you cannot defeat Teach, leave it to me. But just don't die."

She grinned, before jumping at the captain, wrapping her two arms around his thick neck. "You got it!"

"Falco!" She heard the first commander call. He had two bags in his hands. "I packed everything for you while you guys were talking. I figured Oyaji would let you go. Take care of yourself, ya hear?"

The girl also wrapped her arms around Marco. "Thank you! I'll miss you, Marco... I hope I can see you again."

The commander smiled. "We will."

The girl slung the two bags over her shoulders. "Thank you, mina!" she shouted, waving as she took off in the sky. "I'll bring him back, count on it!"

And so, the girl with the golden wings sped off into the Grand Line as the captain of the Whitebeard Kaizokudan sighed.

_The next time we meet… _he thought. _It won't be a pleasant one, I'm sure of it._

* * *

**START OF THE SECOND ARC! So stoked, thank you so much for your support guys ;w; You're amazing~**

**Yes, I do realize the last chapter was awkward... that's what you get for writing in a rush 1 a.m in the morning ;w; (obsessing with TeniPuri didn't help at all as well OTL)**

**I had a little bit of writer's block while writing this, but needless to say, we'll meet our dear Mugiwara Ichimi the next chapter! Hurrah!**

**Special Thanks To:  
cristalcleer14  
asianpianisttogo  
exclusive-rainbowdreamers  
come-at-me-bro55  
feelthebreeze18  
Akira-chan  
Ezaria  
Mugiwara Otome**

**Love the reviews, everyone! Keep 'em up! ;w;**

**And here's to our next arc: __****The Mugiwara Kaizokudan, and the Great Yonko, Shanks!**

******~Hanada :***


	13. EMERGENCY AN

**I know these are fully banned, but I'm writing the Author's Note because I really don't have a choice anymore.**

**Romance Dawn was my second project/epic, and so far, the longest. It also holds a deep meaning in my heart-I can't live without writing, whether it's FanFiction, manga, essays, documentaries...**

**Unfortunately, I've been quite ignorant. I got a mac for Christmas almost 3 years ago. I ****_did _****love it, but I did not take care of it. I turn it OFF at most, 20 times per year. If I can help it, it's turned on until I return from school.**

**Around a year or so ago, my mac has been making really loud noises and it has been getting hot near the centre top of the mac. I've found out that's normally where the hard drives are. It's a mini CD that spins approx. 5000x per minute, and when I think about how LITTLE I've turned it off the past three years, I start to get really apologetic and understand why the hard drive burnt out so fast (normally macs are supposed to run 'as long as you want them to' or 4-5 years if you take care of it... averagely? Mine wasn't even 3 years old.)**

**So long story short, everything is gone. I can't even turn the mac on anymore. It's a white screen with a grey folder with a question mark blinking and it just stays that way. My ignorance drove me so far I had a backup thing sitting beside my desk for around a year and a half, but I still didn't use it. Now, I seriously regret it.**

**The thing that makes me so sad is the fact that I had stories on there. My projects for three years. I often refer them as my 'pride and joy', and I really cherish my stories. Imagination and words were the only things that helped me when I felt suicidal (le gasp!) because of all the stress I had as a student. With that all gone, I'm pretty much nothing.**

**I ****_do _****have the 12 or so chapters of Romance Dawn that was saved on FanFiction, but here's the gist of my biggest projects right now, all gone.**

**-Romance Dawn/A Trilogy/A One Piece FanFiction (12 chapters saved, information, OC meme's, digital drawings, excess chapters all gone)**

**-First Confessions/1 Story/Law of Ueki Fanfiction (31 chapters completed, was going to start uploading next week, all gone. My first project, and the one before RD)**

**-Spirit's Story/A Trilogy/A Death Note Fanfiction (new, but I had around 17 pages or so of information to start writing)**

**-The Phoenix Queen's Court/10 Epics and Stories/A Prince of Tennis FanFiction (over 400 chapters, 300 OC's, 20 OC schools, possibly the biggest project yet. All gone.)**

**Others:  
Fairy Tail  
Shingeki  
Spirited Away  
Naruto**

**My Own Projects:  
Scarlett Letters (a story about my life and the people who saved me from the darkness)  
You&I (a memoir of me and my high school life. Even my friends were upset because I had lost this file. This was something everyone worked together, and I held the files to it.)  
From Me To You (an apocalyptic sci-fi story)  
The Seven Samurai (a historical fiction novel that's being made into a manga. 7 female samurai in the Sengoku Era of Japan, where they served as true Japanese heroes-young girls who have sacrificed everything on a battlefield for their country)  
Cirque de Clefs (a AU story about two young spies and 6 kidnapped children in a future where the government and higher-officials thrive, but the rest is closely guarded by a totalitarianism state of government)**

**Right now, the stories I'm really upset about are ****_The Phoenix Queen's Court, Romance Dawn, Scarlett Letters. _****You&I, Cirque de Clefs, 7 Samurai, and a couple of others I didn't mention were supposed to be made as manga... but everything is gone.**

**Unfortunately, or fortunately, there's something called DriveSavers. I will try them, but their base fee is $800 and can go anywhere in price, even to the $2400. Plus, I honestly don't know how much they can recover.**

**Please, pray that I get all my stories back! (And I'm the only one not praying here lol (I'm an atheist!)**

**My hiatus will end when I fix my laptop and write the new chapter.**

**Thank you for the support you guys have given me so far. I'll never give up on this story.**

**Special shout out to Ezaria and Akira-chan. You guys have really sometimes made my week. RD is dedicated to you guys.**

**My email is azuremist14(the-at-symbol)hotmail(the-period-below )com if you want to chat, please do! I'll be really lonely without my computer ;w;**

**See you soon :***

**~Mizuiko Hanada 09/16/13**


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